Never Seen Blue
by SkyWarrior108
Summary: This story takes place in an alternate Avatar universe where Katara and Sokka never discovered Aang in the iceberg. Told from Azula’s POV. Azula/Katara pairing.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** I do not own _Avatar: The Last Airbender_. However, I do own this story. Enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter 1**

It's been three years since the fall of Ba Sing Se. I took over the city from the inside out. My father had every confidence that at the age of 14, I could accomplish what so many great Fire Nation generals before me could not. And so for the first time, I left the Fire Nation. While leading an invasion with a small but elite force, I managed to take over several key outer Earth Kingdom cities, such as Omashu. But it was a battle against a group of highly skilled female warriors hailing from Kyoshi Island, that inspired me to go about my mission in a much more unorthodox way. After all, there was a reason Ba Sing Se couldn't be taken over with brute force. The outer and inner walls made it nearly impossible. And the earthbenders guarding the outer wall had completely destroyed the drill we tried to use to penetrate it.

I recruited two of my closest allies, Mai and Ty Lee, to help me with my plan. At that point, I no longer needed my other troops and went on ahead without them. It was a risky course of action, but if I was successful, it would be so much more satisfying. Disguising ourselves as the Kyoshi Warriors, we were greeted as honored guests in Ba Sing Se by the Earth King himself. At first I thought it was too easy. But things were not what they seemed in this city, and I quickly realized the king was a figurehead who had no idea that there even was a war with the Fire Nation. I learned at a banquet held in the honor of the King's bear, that it was Long Feng and his Dai Li agents that ran things around here. Whoever controlled the Dai Li, controlled Ba Sing Se. But first I had to get the Earth King to turn on Long Feng.

Then, as luck would have it, a rebel turned refugee claiming he had seen firebenders in the capital blew the lid off of Long Feng's closely guarded secret. Normally the Dai Li would have gotten to him first, but Mai managed to discreetly help him evade the agents without them ever being the wiser about it. That kept us "Kyoshi Warriors" still in the trust of all concerned. The Earth King realized he had been manipulated and promptly threw Long Feng in jail. Despite that, the Dai Li remained loyal to him. But I was about to change that.

I knew that there were Dai Li agents almost everywhere, constantly keeping their eyes and ears on all the happenings in the city. Sensing the opportunity to begin a coup against the Council of Five—who were in charge of all Earth Kingdom military operations—I had Mai and Ty Lee purposefully give away the fact that we were Fire Nation while the Dai Li spied on them. Then, just as I had hoped, that night, Dai Li agents took me to Long Feng's prison cell. He knew that I was the Fire Nation Princess. It was so easy to read him and I played him like a fiddle.

From there I took control of the Dai Li and gaining subsequent control of Ba Sing Se was quite easy. My divine right to rule was apparent, and the agents were smart in who they chose to follow. They let the walls down for the Fire Nation military, led by my father, Fire Lord Ozai. And just like that, the Earth Kingdom was his.

I was honored as a war hero, and my reward was to stay on and rule the former Earth Kingdom. At first I relished the chance to be in an even greater position of power. But, unfortunately, as I came to learn, politics were stifling. I missed the excitement of battle, and I began to get restless. The only thing that kept me entertained anymore was the occasional rebel uprising.

Truthfully, I was more than a tad lonely. Mai ended up going back to the Fire Nation capital and Ty Lee rejoined the circus. Besides the two of them, I didn't have many friends growing up. I was so busy training as a firebender and military strategist that it left little time for socializing. Now I was surrounded by people I knew despised me, but would fake pleasantries in court.

Lately, I had taken to disguising myself as a commoner and wandering out into the streets of the city I had so easily conquered. I usually did so at night, so as to cloak myself in the shadows. I don't know what possessed me to do it. At first it was to keep my stealth skills sharp. But now… now it was different. And it unsettled me. There was someone I was actively seeking out.

* * *

_One week earlier…_

The Water Tribe had been completely decimated by the Fire Nation. There were still some pockets of them here and there, but mostly they had given up fighting. Many of them resettled in the former Earth Kingdom, some right here in Ba Sing Se. They were easy to spot. Their dark skin made them stand out among the rest of the citizens.

One night, I observed as two Water Tribe teens, a boy and a girl who had to have been around my age, broke into a small food shop. Curious to see what they were up to, I watched through a window as they loaded up on goods. I felt someone approaching and snuck back into a shadow. Turning the corner was a Dai Li agent, and now it was just a matter of time before they would be caught. For some reason, I didn't want them to get caught even though they were stealing in _my_ city. I had to know why they were doing what they were doing. So I decided to create a diversion by setting off a small explosion with my bending at the other end of the street. It did the trick and while the agent was distracted, I saw the Water Tribe teens make their escape.

I followed them back to their "home" if one could even call it that much. It was a small mud hut, and I could see peering into their window that there was barely enough room for the two of them to sleep in it. There was a small fireplace, although on a night this warm, there was no need for a fire.

"Did you see that explosion, Sokka? What could it have been from?"

"I don't know, Katara. But something wasn't right. I feel like we were followed back here."

"What do you think the Dai Li is waiting for?"

"It wasn't the Dai Li."

I had always thought Water Tribe peasants—well, peasants in general—were dumb, but these two struck me as smart, if not resourceful. I don't know what came over me, but I decided to knock on their door. Mai always did say I was crazy.

I could sense them freeze at the sound of my knock, and I couldn't help but chuckle. I always did like having that effect on people, even if these two didn't realize who I was exactly. Slowly, the door opened a crack and a pair of blue eyes were staring at me.

"What do you want?" It was the girl's voice.

"Company," I replied simply. I didn't feel like coming up with some convoluted lie. Her eyes narrowed.

"We don't normally have visitors. What do you really want?" My, she was perceptive. I couldn't help but smirk at that.

"Fine, you got me. I saw you stealing back at that food shop. A Dai Li agent was minutes away from catching you in the act, so I created a little diversion."

"Why would you do that? And why did you follow us?" Her voice was filled with mistrust.

"Because I wanted to know why you felt you had to steal."

"Great. What are you, the morality police?" I should have gotten angry at that, but I found the comment ironic considering who I was. I couldn't help but laugh.

"Spirits, no."

"Katara, who is it?" The boy's voice now. I briefly wondered if they were lovers.

"Why don't you come and see for yourself," I replied, a little louder than necessary. The door flung open at that, and I could see him holding a short sword. It was obvious that he knew what he was doing, but even unarmed, I could take him.

"What do you want?" he asked, getting into a defensive stance.

"As I was telling your girlfriend here, I wanted to know why you were stealing," I said with a dark smile.

"Ew, he's my _brother_!" They both had a disgusted look on their faces and I laughed again.

"Why do you care what we were doing?" he asked.

"Curiosity. I mean, why didn't you pay for it?"

"Because we don't have any money," Katara said, her voice getting a little softer.

"You can't find work?"

"All the businesses around here are run by the Fire Nation. We don't want to work for them!" Sokka said harshly and my eyes narrowed at him. He saw it.

"You're Fire Nation, aren't you?"

"Is it that obvious?" I said with a bored tone. I don't know what I expected when I started this whole thing, but the boy—Sokka I believe his name was—took me by surprise by pushing Katara out of the way and lunging at me with his sword. I easily avoided his attack with a back flip. I was careful not to firebend, because that would definitely give away who I was. The Fire Nation Princess was the only one to bend with blue fire. Instead, I taunted him. "Is that all you've got? No wonder the Water Tribe was so easy to defeat." That really got to him, but I laughed as I once again evaded his ill-timed slash. Then with a quick series of movements, I disarmed him. He stared at me, dumfounded.

I smiled triumphantly at him. But my triumph was short lived as I felt the crack of a water whip against my back and stumbled forward. Foolishly, I'd forgotten all about the girl. Wait a minute, I thought to myself. She just used waterbending on me. All the waterbenders from the North and South Poles had all been captured or killed.

I quickly regained my footing and turned myself so that I was facing both of them. I could easily take them both, but for some reason I couldn't bring myself to strike back at the girl. Odd.

"I didn't come here to fight you two." It was true, I didn't go there for that reason. I loved a good fight and everything, but that wasn't what I had been looking for that night.

"Then what did you come here for?" Katara asked, still wary.

"Curiosity, I guess. I wanted to see how commoners lived in the city." Her eyes widened at that.

"You're Fire Nation nobility?" I nodded. "You sure don't look it." I scowled at that. I had always prided myself on my impeccable, regal appearance. Then I remembered my disguise. I wore a long black cloak to cover my body, which was adorned in nothing more than brown pants and a red shirt. My hair was pulled back into a ponytail and I didn't wear any makeup. Nothing particularly noble about any of that.

"That's the point," I replied with a hiss. They both continued to look at me with suspicion.

"You won't tell the Dai Li about us?" Katara asked, her eyes now pleading, and I thought I would lose myself in an ocean of blue. Shaking my head slightly, I broke my reverie.

"Why would I waste my time telling them about a couple of common thieves?"

"You didn't answer the question," she replied. I smiled at that.

"No, I won't tell the Dai Li. I don't want a pretty thing like you ending up in those jails." I gave her a once-over and she blushed. Her brother glared at me, but he had more sense than to say anything to invoke my ire. Then I might just tell the Dai Li to spite him. I smirked at him before bringing my gaze back to the girl.

Katara looked at me curiously now. I was fascinated by the contrast between dark skin and bright, blue eyes. Even though she was a foreigner, she was very pretty I decided. In fact, she could be downright beautiful if she wasn't a peasant.

"We need to get to sleep now," Sokka said a little testily, interrupting my musings. Before I could retort, Katara chimed in.

"Yes, we should," she said, agreeing with her brother. "It was nice meeting you…" she trailed off, looking for a name. I simply shook my head and smiled. "Right. Well, thanks for your help earlier."

"Not a problem…" I moved in closer to her and finished with a whisper, "… Katara." I cupped one cheek with my hand while I placed a gentle kiss on her other cheek. I would be lying if I said I had any experience in seduction. But I'd observed people all my life, and felt fairly certain that I knew what I was doing. Plus, it tickled me to no end how much this annoyed her brother.

I pulled away, and Katara blushed again while Sokka held in his anger. I assumed it was a big brother protectiveness thing. He knew I was dangerous, regardless of the fact that I helped them tonight. I briefly wondered where Zuzu was. Probably still off at sea on that fool boy errand my father sent him on five years ago.

"Goodnight," I said, flashing a flirtatious smile at Katara before vanishing into the shadows once more.

* * *

So here I was, back at their sorry excuse for a home, looking for the girl. She intrigued me to no end. Her brother wasn't bad looking either, but I found I never really got along well with boys. They were always so intimidated by me.

I looked in through the window and noticed no one was home. It was quite late, and I figured they would have been asleep by now. But I didn't know much about the Water Tribe. I did know waterbenders were strongest at night—when the moon was out. Maybe they were nighttime people. Why did I even care?

For the next three nights, I continued to go back, but they were never there. Upon closer inspection, I realized that everything was exactly as it had been every day before. Damn, they must have gotten caught by the Dai Li. The next best place to look was the prison. Making my way back to the palace, I snuck in unnoticed. In another life, I must have been an assassin.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

I arrived at the main prison holding in Ba Sing Se with my royal escort, now dressed in full royal attire.

"Princess Azula," the guards said with a bow.

"I'm here to see the warden. Where is he?"

"In his sleeping quarters, majesty. We'll fetch him for you right away," one of them replied.

"You do that," I said giving him a cold smile. His face paled as he ran off to get the warden. I loved doing that to them. I developed this reputation for being cold and cruel, but the funny thing is, most of it was built on giving people looks like that one. I very rarely had to do more than that.

I heard footsteps racing down the hall toward me. Coming to a halt and bowing before me was the warden—a large man with long, black hair and a scar under his right eye. "Good evening, Princess Azula. How can I be of service?"

"I want to know if you have any prisoners from the Water Tribe." He looked surprised by my request, but was quick to come up with an answer.

"Why yes, actually. We have one in our custody."

"Just the one?" I asked, trying to sound nonchalant, hoping that nothing had happened to the girl. Hoping that she hadn't been stupid and tried to waterbend. That would mean certain torture from the firebending jailors.

"Yes, a girl. The Dai Li saw her and her brother stealing from a stand in the market. They were only able to capture the girl. The boy managed to get away." He gulped. I could tell he was hoping that not having the boy wouldn't land him in some kind of trouble.

"Take me to her."

"Yes, majesty."

I followed him down a long hallway filled with holding cells. Since it was the middle of the night, I assumed almost all the prisoners were asleep. The only sounds I could hear were the fall of our footsteps and my own breathing.

The warden came to a stop in front of a cell. "This is it, majesty." I approached the door and slid open the viewer. It was dark in the cell and the only light was from a waning moon through a small window. I could see a figure laying on a cot, but that was about it. Still, I was certain it had to be her.

"Open the door."

"But Princess, don't you want to wait until daybreak?" I turned my piercing gaze on him, and I could see the beads of sweat begin to form on his forehead.

"Open the door, warden," I repeated, putting emphasis on the word warden and making it sound like the worthless title that it was.

"Yes, right away, majesty," he said hurriedly, fumbling with the keys for a moment as he tried to get control of his shaking hands.

The cell door opened with a creak, startling the sleeping girl. I stepped in and closed the door behind me with a little force, just to make sure she was completely awake. I could see her sit up and back into a corner of the cot, hiding in the shadows there. I could hear her breathing begin to hasten.

"Relax, Katara. I won't harm you. Unless you give me a reason to." I could tell she recognized me.

"You gave us up to the Dai Li, didn't you?" she said accusingly.

"I did no such thing."

"Then how did you know I was here?" I wasn't about to tell her that I had gone to her home the last three nights looking for her.

"I make it a point to know who comes and goes from my prisons." That wasn't entirely true, but it was plausible enough.

"Your prisons?"

I created a small, blue flame in the palm of my hand and held it close to my face. "Yes, my prisons."

She gasped. "Princess… Princess Azula?"

"The one and only," I said with a predatory smile. But my smile quickly turned into a frown when I saw Katara's expression change to one of loathing.

"I hate you," she hissed. I could feel my anger rising, but I've always been one to keep tight control over my emotions. Still, I couldn't believe three little words by some insignificant peasant would get under my skin like that, even if just for a moment. Something wasn't right here, and I had to get control of it. And so I did the only way I knew how: intimidation.

Strengthening the flame in my palm, I hardened my expression. "You forget your place. If you want to see the outside of this jail again, you'll learn to show me proper respect." That made her angry, I could tell, but she said nothing as she lowered her gaze. A cruel smile played at my lips. "Smart girl. I knew there was a reason I liked you. Well, besides the obvious reason," I purred as I moved in closer, touching her cheek the same way I had the first time we met. To my disappointment, it didn't have the intended reaction. Instead she backed up even further, recoiling in fear. It wasn't fear of my flame. It was fear of my touch. I dropped my hand from her face.

It was then that I noticed tears in the prison uniform she was wearing. I could see some dried blood as well. "Katara. Did you use waterbending on the Dai Li or the jailors?" I asked, almost certain that she didn't considering she was in a generic holding cell used for non-benders. But I had to know for sure.

"No, of course not."

"Then why are you such a mess?" She hugged her legs into herself in response, and I realized that wasn't the most tactful way to ask the question. Softening my voice, I tried again. "Did you do something that deserved punishment?" She shook her head. I could tell when people were hiding something from me, and there was something alright. "What aren't you telling me?"

"Three men came in here the other night," she said, her voice shaking slightly as her eyes lifted to meet mine, her expression conveying what she couldn't will herself to say. Realization dawned on me, and I now understood why she was so nervous when I first arrived. I was furious.

My first instinct was not only to kill the men who did this, but the warden, and the Dai Li agents who arrested her in the first place. My rage was close to completely boiling over. Why did everything having to do with this girl just throw off my ability to keep my emotions in check?

I extinguished the flame in my hand and headed for the cell door. The warden was waiting outside for me to finish my visit. I grabbed him by the collar and shoved him up against the wall. "I'm taking her with me. I'll be back tomorrow, and I'll want some questions answered," I seethed menacingly, as his face twisted in confusion.

"Princess?"

"Silence! Just make sure my royal escort is ready to go." I released my hold on him and turned to go back into Katara's cell. Trying to calm myself down, I began to focus on my breathing before stepping through the door.

"I'm taking you back to the palace with me," I simply stated, not leaving any room for an argument. Not that I really thought there would be one, all things considered. She might hate me—or at least think she hates me—but it beat the hell out of staying here.

Pushing herself up to stand, she began to walk slowly toward me. I noticed she was wincing as she did. Not wanting to spend another second longer than I had to in this place, I scooped her up in my arms and began to carry her. The action was very unbecoming of a Princess, but my patience was wearing thin. She looked surprised, but said nothing.

Moving quickly down the hall, I reached the prison gate in a matter of minutes. My escort was limited this night, just four servants to carry my litter. The Water Tribe girl would have to ride with me. Sighing, I stepped inside, taking my seat while resting Katara across my legs. Only one servant looked at me questioningly. One look from me was all it took to remind him never to question me. I didn't feel like answering to anyone tonight, including myself.

Fortunately, the trip was made in silence. I could tell Katara was trying not to look at me, and I found myself strangely interested in the fabric that hung around my litter. But even that could not distract me from the sensation of having the waterbender in my arms. What was I going to do with her once I got back to the palace? First thing, of course, was to take her to see the healer, but then what? It was very unlike me not to think ahead. I always had a plan. I was off balance, but strangely found myself not caring.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

It was well past midnight when we arrived back at the palace. Getting out of my litter, I turned to one of my servants. "Fetch the healer and have him come to the guest quarters next to my chambers."

"Princess," he said with a bow before running off.

Another servant approached me. "Highness, would you like us to carry her?" he asked, his eyes lowered to the bundle in my arms and I realized I still hadn't relinquished my hold of Katara. I looked down at her face, and she finally looked at me. I read her expression quite easily and it told me that while she'd rather walk herself, she didn't want anyone else touching her unnecessarily.

Bringing my attention back to the servant, I answered, "No, I'll take her myself." This clearly surprised the nearby servants and guards, but they were smart enough not to say anything as they followed me to the guest quarters.

When we arrived there, servants scrambled to get the space ready. The room hadn't been used since Ty Lee had last visited almost a year ago. Typically quarters like this were reserved for Fire Nation nobility, but now I was about to allow a Water Tribe peasant to stay here. But I was the Princess, this was my palace, and I could do whatever I damn well wanted. And right now I wanted her to be close by. I didn't want to ask myself why that was.

I placed Katara down on satin sheets. I could tell she was overwhelmed by the whole experience, probably having never seen luxuries such as this.

"Draw a bath," I said to no one in particular.

"It will be done, Princess." I nodded at a servant as she scurried off. Just then, the healer arrived.

"Princess Azula, you called?" I brought my attention to a short, middle-aged man with salt-and-pepper hair tied into a topknot. He was thin but strong for his position, and he was one of the best healers in the world. I demanded only the best to serve in my household. I also knew I could trust him, as he had been in my family's service for my entire life.

"Yes. I need you to tend to my guest's wounds," I said, gesturing to Katara without looking at her. He looked over and raised an eyebrow at her appearance, but didn't say anything about her prison garb.

"Certainly, majesty. Does she have a name?"

"I do," Katara answered before I could, clearly annoyed that we were talking about her as if she weren't right there. "Katara of the Water Tribe."

All of the servants froze, expecting my wrath to be invoked and punishment to be delivered swiftly upon the girl. Instead, I just laughed, which made everyone except Katara even more nervous.

"Don't you people have things you need to be attending to?" I said sharply, and everyone quickly got back to their work. The healer approached Katara.

"I'm going to need you to take these off so I can see the full extent of your injuries," he said absently, indicating the torn prison uniform. I rolled my eyes. While talented, he certainly was lacking in the tact department. Obviously, this upset Katara although she took everything in stride. I grabbed the healer by his arm and turned him back to face me.

"Show a little more discretion," I said in a low, threatening voice. "She was attacked by three men in prison," I finished, hoping he would get the point. He visibly gulped and I knew he understood.

"Princess, the bath is prepared," the servant girl said as she returned to the room.

"Good. Keep it warm until we're ready for it." The use of the word "we" was not lost on Katara and she glared at me. I just smiled innocently in return. I had no intention of seducing her this night. I wasn't _that_ insensitive, despite what people thought of me. "Now leave so the healer can work in peace."

The servants left then and I sat at the foot of the bed for a moment while the healer got some of his supplies out next to the bed. I looked at Katara who looked surprisingly calm, all things considered.

"I'm going to leave now to give you some privacy. I'll be in my chambers if I'm needed. You are welcome to wear any of the clothes in the wardrobe over there," I said, pointing to said piece of furniture across the room. "And the bath was prepared for you, so use it if you'd like."

Over the years, I had learned that little things like that could go a long way, and I was actually quite capable of being a good hostess. I could see the wheels turning in Katara's head, trying to reconcile the person she saw before her with the person she thought I was. My reputation definitely preceded me. But I figured if I was feeling this off balanced around her, I should try to return the favor. It was only fair, I thought slyly as I got up from the bed and left her alone with the healer.

Once I was in my chambers, I changed out of my clothes and into something much more comfortable for sleeping. I opted for a simple robe. My mind kept wandering back to the Water Tribe girl. I really had no idea what I was going to do with her. Technically, she was still a prisoner, but my word was final in this city so I could easily free her. Part of me didn't want to. Back in that prison cell, I felt a challenge from her, and I always did like a challenge. I wanted to make her want me. I know that she did before she knew I was the Fire Lord's daughter. Now I wanted her desire to win out over her hatred of me.

Who was I kidding? She had recently been raped and was probably in no way capable of feeling that way toward anybody anytime soon. Just the thought made my blood boil. Tomorrow, I told myself. Just wait.

I couldn't believe how angry this was making me, what these men did. My anger distracted me from the real issue at hand. I couldn't believe how badly _I_ wanted _her_—a Water Tribe peasant. I was the Fire Nation Princess.

A knock at my door pulled me from my thoughts. "Enter."

"Princess Azula?" It was the healer.

"Yes? What's the girl's status?"

"She's in pretty good shape considering. She told me a little of what happened so I could treat her. It's still a horrible thing to have happen, but it's not as bad as it could have been." I started tapping my foot, getting impatient. He noticed. "Right. It ended up being more of a straightforward assault than sexual assault. Most of her injuries consist of some pretty nasty bruises from either being grabbed or hit. There were some cuts that needed to be cleaned, one of which needed to be reopened, drained, and stitched up. Most of the dried blood on her clothes actually wasn't hers. She fought back. She can give you the rest of the details, I'm sure."

Relief washed over me. It still wasn't right what had happened, but what I had assumed was far worse. Not to mention how glad I was that she'd knocked those bastards around.

I dismissed him and headed back over to the guest quarters. When I arrived, I saw two servant girls but no Katara. They looked like they didn't know what to do with themselves. For a minute I thought she had ran away, but there were guards all over the palace, so I doubted that was the case. I would have heard by now.

"Where is my guest?" I asked one of the girls.

"Bathing, majesty," she replied, never raising her eyes to me.

"And why aren't you two helping her?"

"She wished to do it herself." I rolled my eyes. I was about to make some sarcastic comment about peasants, but the sight of Katara entering the room wearing nothing but a towel promptly derailed my train of thought.

"Leave us." The servants bowed as they left.

Now that we were alone, silence hung over us. I caught myself staring at Katara a little longer than necessary. I saw a hint of a blush creep up her neck before she remembered that she was supposed to hate me. Her expression hardened.

"Why are you helping me?" I could hear a mixture of anger and confusion in her voice.

I didn't answer her. I didn't know why I was helping her. It defied all logic and reason. It wasn't like I was some do-gooder. I was the conqueror of Ba Sing Se.

"You need your rest," I said instead. "The men who committed this crime will not go unpunished. I will see to it tomorrow." I turned to leave.

"Azula, wait…" Her voice was a little softer now. I ignored her leaving out of my honorific and turned back to face Katara once more. "It isn't what you think." I raised an eyebrow at that. "Those men who came to my cell didn't rape me. I know what the punishment is for rape, and I don't think they deserve that." The punishment was death—a slow torturous death.

"You almost sound like you're defending them." I couldn't believe what she was saying. How could she not want justice? I was very much looking forward to delivering it personally.

"I'm not. I just don't think they should be killed for something they didn't do."

"Tell me what happened," I said taking a seat. She did as well, careful to place herself a safe distance from me—not that there really was such a thing. I couldn't help but notice that the bruises on her arms and legs were practically gone. There was just a hint of yellow where deep purple once was. That was interesting. Maybe those rumors about some waterbenders having healing abilities were true after all. Still, it was a reminder of what had happened. If anyone was going to mark her body, I decided it should only be me—and she would like it.

"They were prisoners as well." Her voice brought me back to the present situation at hand. "I noticed them watching me earlier in the day while we were out in the yard. They came late that evening, right before the nightly lockdown. I could tell by the look in their eyes what they wanted. I tried to run past them to get out of my cell, but two of them grabbed me by my arms and pushed me against the wall. The one who didn't have a hold of me tried to rip my clothes off, but I kicked him in… well, a very sensitive area. He doubled over and I kicked him the face, breaking his nose. One of the men who was holding me let go to help his friend. I punched the one who still held me, and we got into it. Then all three of them were on top of me, pinning me to the ground. The guy who I had kicked kneed me… returning the favor I guess. At that point, the guards came in to break it up. They must have overheard the commotion," she took a deep breath. I could see her visibly shaking at the memory. "But those men didn't actually sexually assault me."

"But their intent was to do so, right?"

"Yes, I guess so," she swallowed.

"They are scum who would have raped you if the guards hadn't intervened. Such filth doesn't deserve so much as to take another breath in my city," I fumed. "What happened to them?" I asked, wanting to know how the warden handled the situation.

"They were put in solitary confinement for a day. But today I saw them again in the yard, and they were looking for revenge. They told me to watch myself. I was afraid it was them when you came into my cell tonight. Thankfully, it was you."

"Yes, you seemed _so_ happy to see me," I said sarcastically. "Tell me something. Why do you hate me so much?" I asked. I just had to know. People hated me for all sorts of reasons, but really it was because they were simply jealous. But she didn't strike me as the jealous type. "You didn't seem to have a problem when you thought I was just any old Fire Nation noble."

"Because you aren't just any old Fire Nation noble. You're the Fire Nation Princess, daughter of the Fire Lord. Spreading war and violence and hatred is in your blood," she hissed.

"You don't know what you're talking about," I rebuffed, slightly taken aback by her tone. No one talked that way to me.

"I don't? How dare you! You have no idea what this war has put me through. Me personally. The Fire Nation took my mother away from me, destroyed my tribe, and split up the rest of my family. Sokka is the only one I have left." She broke down crying then.

I didn't know what to say. I never understood why the other nations had such a hard time grasping what the Fire Nation was trying to accomplish with this war. But I suppose I never really stopped to think about how it affected anyone's lives, including my own. It wasn't pleasant to think about, so I usually chose not to. It was easy for me to put things out of my mind and focus on what needed to get done. It's what had made me such a formidable bender in the first place.

Still, I felt I had to say _something_ to her. "Well, that's something we have in common," I told her in all seriousness. She looked at me then, her face streaked with tears. "This war has torn my family apart as well." It was true. However I felt about that fact was irrelevant. I just wanted her to stop crying.

She got up from where she was sitting and walked over to me, still wearing nothing but that damn towel. I didn't move from my spot. Staring down at me, she looked me straight in the eye. For the first time since she found out I was the Princess, she regarded me without judgment in her eyes.

"You're different than I thought you would be," she said finally. I just smirked as I raised my eyebrow in response. Her face took on a mischievous expression at that. I felt her hands on my shoulders as she sat sideways in my lap, her eyes never leaving mine. My pulse began to speed up ever so slightly. Her fingers laced together behind my neck as she slowly leaned in, lips lightly brushing against mine. I closed my eyes and moved into her, deepening the kiss. It was pure bliss. We stayed that way for what felt like an eternity before pulling away, our breath coming out a bit heavier than usual. She rested her forehead against mine, eyes smiling. And I realized I'd never seen blue until that moment.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

I cracked open my eyes to see light peering in through the curtain. It was almost noon, and I had overslept. I smiled smugly to myself as I recalled why. Generally I loathed to miss my morning firebending routine, but today was different. The warmth from the body sleeping on mine was proof of that.

The waterbender's forwardness had taken me by surprise, but it was not unwelcome. Our kisses had quickly intensified with hunger and longing. Somehow I ended up on the floor underneath her, my robe long gone. Her hands were everywhere, and I thought I would drown in her passion.

Normally I was used to being in control of everything, but when it came to physical intimacy, I was in unknown territory. I had had plenty of people try to seduce me over the years, but it never led beyond simple flirtation and a few kisses before last night. I had planned to take things slowly with Katara—to tease her and make her practically beg for my touch. But once I was in her arms, that idea was lost in an instant, and I let her take control. It was terrifying and exhilarating all at once.

I felt Katara shift her weight as she began to wake up. Her hand lazily trailed its way down my side as I took a sharp intake of breath. I could feel her smile against my skin.

"Mmm, glad to see you are finally awake," I said, raking my nails lightly up her back, eliciting a soft moan. Her head turned and she began to trail kisses along my collar bone, up my neck, and finally to my lips for a delicious good morning kiss. I could wake up like this everyday, I thought to myself.

A knock at the door broke the spell and my first thought was to kill whoever was standing behind it. Katara slowly pulled away and sat up, straddling my hips. "Duty calls, highness," she said teasingly. I rolled my eyes and she laughed as she got off me. I grudgingly got up from the bed and grabbed my forgotten robe off the floor, quickly throwing it around my body as I headed toward the door.

I opened it to see my political advisor looking quite nervous, as he should. "This had better be good," I hissed.

"Princess, I've been looking all over the palace for you. I, uh, didn't realize you were in the guest quarters…" he trailed off, almost looking embarrassed. I was losing my patience.

"And why have you been looking all over for me instead of leaving me in peace?" I asked with barely controlled anger.

"You have a meeting scheduled with Admiral Chan and Admiral Liang in less than an hour." Damn! It had completely slipped my mind.

"I'll be there. Now leave," I said with a glare and he ran off. Slamming the door shut, I sighed. I could feel Katara's eyes on me. Turning to look at her, I saw a questioning look on her face.

"What?"

"You're so different around everyone else."

"Because everyone else annoys me. I can't stand incompetence, and, unfortunately, I see far too much of it," I explained matter-of-fact. "I would love to stay, but I have a meeting to prepare for. If you need anything, ask the servants. I'll be back later this evening."

Nodding, Katara got up from the bed and padded over to me. Placing both hands on my face, she brought me down for a kiss. All I wanted to do was spend the rest of the day in bed with the dark-skinned beauty. Instead, I reluctantly pulled away and went back to my chambers to get ready for the day.

Sometimes, I really hated being a princess.

* * *

The rest of the day dragged on. My meeting with the admirals sadly had nothing to do with any kind of military strategy. Just how to most effectively watch over the trade routes throughout the eastern and western colonies in the former Earth Kingdom and how the profits would be divided.

As the two of them droned away, I pretended to listen. This is what I had a political advisor for. I had other things on my mind. Things that were much more interesting than trade routes. Things that had to do with a certain Water Tribe girl.

Finally the meeting ended, and I made my way to the other side of the palace to see the one who had taken up so much of my thought today. I remembered her pointing out how I'm different around everyone else. It was almost like I couldn't help it. She made me feel different. Ty Lee was the only other person who's company I actually enjoyed, but Katara was no Ty Lee. I didn't just enjoy Katara, I craved her.

Fortunately, she was alone when I arrived at the guest quarters. I had barely shut the door behind me before I found myself pushed up against it.

"Did you miss me?" I asked with a smirk. She just gave me a look that said "What do you think?" as she led me to her bed.

* * *

"Princess…"

"When we're alone, just call me Azula," I interrupted. Katara smiled, shaking her head slightly.

"What?"

"I never thought I'd be here making love to the Princess of the Fire Nation."

"What changed your mind?" I asked, genuinely curious.

"I always thought of you as some kind of monster." I internally cringed and quickly pushed down the memories that threatened to surface. "Whenever I would imagine the face of the enemy, it was your face. You represented everything that I had lost because of this war. But then when you brought me here, I realized that you aren't a monster at all. You are very human. And you have hurt because of this war just like I have." She placed a tender kiss on my lips, much different from all her others. It soothed me.

"Mmm… and I never thought my first lover would be from the Water Tribe." She looked at me, surprised.

"You mean?" she asked, still shocked by my admission.

"Yes, I'm very picky," I said with a lecherous grin as I moved in for another kiss, this time, not so tender.

* * *

I awoke the next morning at the crack of dawn. Despite having such little sleep, I felt oddly refreshed. I looked down at a sleeping Katara who was wrapped around my body. As much as I wanted to stay exactly where I was, I couldn't skip another day of firebending. I carefully tried to extract myself from her grasp without waking her. Still sound asleep, she tightened her hold on me.

Sighing, I gently shook the waterbender awake. "Ugh, what time is it?"

"Time for me to get up and practice my firebending."

"Now?"

"Yes, now."

She finally relinquished her hold on me. After putting on my robe, I turned to see she had fallen back asleep again. I chuckled to myself as I headed out to the courtyard to rise with the sun.

* * *

Like yesterday, there were issues to attend to and I had holed myself up in my chambers to get it done, even though it was the last thing I wanted to be doing. I heard a knock at my door.

"Enter."

"Azula, I need to ask you something." I looked up from the scroll that I was reading—a letter from some noble asking for a tax break.

"Ask away," I said, happy for a break, especially since it was Katara who interrupted me.

"Am I still a prisoner?" I had almost forgotten that I hadn't made a decision about that yet.

"No, I freed you from that place the other night if you recall." There, the decision was made.

"Then I am free to go, right?"

I didn't say anything at first. I was starting to regret telling her she was no longer a prisoner. I didn't understand why she wanted to leave suddenly. Everything seemed to be fine. "You can stay if you want," I finally said.

"I can't stay here with you," she said with a tinge of regret in her voice.

"Why not?"

"I need to find my brother."

"Katara, I have a third of the Fire Nation military under my command and Dai Li agents at my beck and call. You don't need to leave to find your brother. He can be found for you," I reasoned.

She looked away from me and hesitated. "It would be better if I left. I don't belong here."

Her words bothered me. I always got what I wanted, and I wanted her to stay. She was being unreasonable. I began to feel… desperate, which was unusual for me. I was almost always in control. I didn't like the feeling at all I decided.

"Fine. Go. See what I care," I said harshly. I didn't want her staying if she didn't want to be here. I had too much pride for that.

"Azula… it's not that I don't want to see you anymore," she said, bringing her gaze to meet mine, walking across the room to where I was sitting, so much like the first night I brought her here. "Will you come visit me?" She took my hands in hers. "Please?" How could I say no?

"Of course."

"This isn't goodbye, Azula," she breathed into my ear, settling onto my lap. And with that all conversation ceased.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

I found myself pacing in my chambers. I was doing that a lot lately. It had been almost a week, and I still hadn't heard anything from Katara. I had given her a special seal to use on any messages sent to ensure that they would get to me as quickly as possible.

She told me that she had to find her brother first and then would most likely have to find another place to live. She refused any assistance from me, which frustrated me to no end. I had every resource at my disposal, but she was stubborn and wanted to do it her way.

I could go out looking for her, but I didn't know where to start. The mud hut where she and Sokka had been living was no longer in the picture.

Enough of this! I needed to focus on more pressing matters. The Dai Li had gotten wind of yet another rebel group operating on the outskirts of Ba Sing Se. They were hard to pin down since it seemed like they didn't have a central meeting location. If they did, it was well-hidden. Still, it was just a matter of time before they were found. And I _would_ find them.

I smiled wickedly to myself. I was definitely in a fighting mood.

Deciding that I needed to burn off this pent up energy, I made my way down to the courtyard. Several of my personal guard were there sparring. They stopped when they noticed my presence, bowing deeply.

"Care to join us, Princess Azula?" asked the Captain of the Guard. It had been some time since I had sparred with them.

"With pleasure," I replied as I got into a fighting stance.

For hours we fought, but we were no worse for wear. My guards' endurance almost matched mine. They were second only to my father's personal guard in their battle and firebending prowess.

After a quick meal and a bath, I retired to my chamber. A servant came to deliver the messages that had just arrived for me. My eye caught the imprint of the fire emblem with a lightning bolt behind it embedded into the wax on one of the scrolls. I knew that it was a message from Katara. Quickly breaking the seal, I unrolled it, anxious to read its contents.

She apologized for taking so long to write. She had just managed to track down Sokka yesterday and was finally settled into their new home. She told me the address and when the best time of day to come see her was. I didn't have any plans for tomorrow, so I decided that I would pay her a visit then. Writing a short note in response, I let her know that I was coming.

My last thoughts before drifting off to sleep were of dark skin and laughing blue eyes.

* * *

The day lagged and I felt myself getting almost nervous with anticipation. I wanted to leave as soon as my firebending session was over, but Katara's note said to meet her two hours past noon.

Finally, the time had come for me to depart. Taking my ostrich horse, I made my way to the neighborhood where the waterbender now resided. When I first saw where it was on the map, I was surprised at where she was living, and I wondered how they were able to afford such a place. It was in an upper-class section of Ba Sing Se, where the former Earth Kingdom aristocracy lived. I had decided to let them keep their wealth, since it was more profitable to let them continue to make money and then tax them. In this part of the city, my disguise was unnecessary. Not that I should have to hide who I was when going on a social visit, but there were some neighborhoods where it was better to avoid the attention my presence would bring.

Arriving right on time, I straightened my uniform before knocking on the door. Katara opened it and she seemed to look even more beautiful than when I last saw her, if that was possible. Smiling, she quickly pulled me inside and closed the door behind us. Before I even had a chance to look around, she had me in a suffocating embrace.

"Spirits, I've missed you," she sighed as she pulled my head down for a soul searing kiss. Her passion never ceased to amaze me.

"I've missed you too," I quietly admitted when we finally pulled apart, my eyes never leaving hers.

"Come on, let me give you the tour," she said, taking my hand and dragging me off to show me every room in the house. It was a simple home by my standards and it had a touch too much Earth décor for my liking, but it had it's own charm I supposed. The last stop was, not surprisingly, her bedroom.

"Katara, I have to ask you something. How did you afford this place?" I asked, hovering in the doorway as she walked toward her bed.

"Sokka met some girl who has money. She put us up here," she was avoiding my gaze and I could tell she wasn't telling me the whole story. I was about to further question her, when she slipped her blue kimono from her shoulders. I watched as it fell to a heap on the floor, and my question was forgotten.

Pushing her down onto the bed, I climbed on top of her, pressing my lips to hers. Our kisses became more urgent, the time apart having gotten to us both. I could feel her tugging at my shirt, struggling to pull it away from my pants.

"You wear too many clothes," she growled, breaking our kiss. Sitting back up, I lifted my shirt over my head and tossed it to the floor, grinning devilishly.

"Better?" I asked, not waiting for a response as I leaned in with a bruising kiss.

Just then, I heard the sound of a door opening downstairs. I paused and cocked my head. "It's just Sokka. He's home a little earlier than I thought," Katara explained. She didn't seem concerned that he was in the house, so I guessed I shouldn't be either. But then I heard the pounding of footsteps coming up the stairs followed by a violent bursting through the door.

"Get away from my sister, you monster!" I tensed and Katara saw it. Saw how much it bothered me to be thought of as a monster. Her eyes looked at me with something I don't think I've ever seen directed at me before—compassion.

"She's not a monster, Sokka!" Katara turned her head to yell at her brother. This was interesting, I thought. She was lying underneath me completely naked, my body the only thing covering her. At least her brother had the sense to look somewhat embarrassed, but his anger toward me never wavered.

"I saw the ostrich horse outside, Katara. I saw the markings it bears. She's the Fire Nation Princess!"

"I _know_ she's the Fire Nation Princess…" Sokka cut her off.

"Katara, I can't believe you! How could you take _her_ as a lover after everything the Fire Nation has done?"

"Sokka, please. She's not at all like you think." He wasn't having any of it. He turned his attention back to me.

"Get out of my house!"

"I don't have to do anything. You forget, peasant, that I own everything in this city. Technically, this is my house," I said, glowering at him as I rose from the bed. Even half naked and unarmed, I looked threatening, and he backed up slightly. I felt Katara's hand around my wrist, stopping me from advancing on her brother.

I turned to look back at her, a sheet now pulled up to cover her body. She looked at me for a moment, telling me that she would handle this, before bringing her gaze to Sokka's. She spoke with barely controlled anger. "Azula is not a monster. She saved me from that prison…"

"So what?" he interrupted yet again. "You feel you owe her, so you give her the only thing you have to offer?" I wanted to blast him with a fireball. How dare he speak to her that way. But I remembered what she had said. This was her fight.

She glared at him. "What is wrong with you? I am not some whore, Sokka, and you know it!" He realized the severity of his words, and he look ashamed.

"I'm sorry, Katara. I do know better," his voice a little softer now. "But I still don't want her here." His eyes hardened. "If you're going to be foolish enough to get mixed up with her, do it somewhere else," he finished, storming off.

"I'm sorry about that. He'll come around eventually, I'm sure." I didn't share her optimism. The mood ruined, I got up to leave, picking my shirt off the floor. "Where are you going?"

"Home," I replied testily.

"I still want to see you. I don't care what Sokka says."

"Then come with me."

"I can't," she said. I just didn't understand her aversion to being in my home.

"Then how am I ever going to see you?" I asked, growing frustrated.

"There are other places we can meet," she said, her smile growing into a playful one as she placed a kiss on my cheek.

"Such as?" I was intrigued.

"I know of a beautiful clearing that's well-hidden. It's on the outskirts of Ba Sing Se. Let's meet there tomorrow."

"If it's well-hidden, how will I find it?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Do you have a map?" I nodded, pulling the map out of a small concealed pocket in my shirt and handed it to her. I began to get dressed while Katara made a mark on the map. Wrapping herself in her blue kimono, she followed me outside to my ostrich horse.

"I promise I'll make this up to you," she said with a suggestive smile as she handed my map back to me.

"You better," I said, leaning down for tantalizing kiss, leaving us both wanting more. And with that, I rode off.

* * *

The location Katara had chosen was about an hour away from the palace by ostrich horse. I was very much looking forward to it. I needed a break. As seems to happen entirely too often, today there was a dispute between two fire nobles who couldn't settle it themselves. So I had to step in and take control. I was really beginning to despise politics.

The ride gave me time to clear my head of the mundane squabbles. Since I was going so far out this time, I decided to be a little more discreet, and I wore my cloak to cover me. After coming over a ridge, I saw the path that Katara had marked on my map. It was too narrow for my animal, so I had to leave him and continue on foot. After about five minutes of walking, I saw the clearing and couldn't help but think Katara was right. It was beautiful.

But the second I entered the clearing, I knew something wasn't right. Katara was nowhere in sight, but I could feel the presence of someone—many someones. It was too late to turn back. I was surrounded.

My eyes narrowed as a dozen rebel soldiers came into view. It was an ambush. Sizing up my opponents, I felt fairly certain that I could win despite being outnumbered. Then I heard a voice from behind me giving the order to attack. I recognized it as Sokka's and a sick feeling came over me. I quickly pushed it away. I couldn't afford to lose my focus in a situation like this.

Three soldiers, all carrying swords, came at me from the front. I blasted them with a whirling fire disc followed by a spinning kick that created a blazing arc, my blue flames having a concussive effect and knocking them out. I then turned and shot a quick succession at fireballs at my remaining foes, knocking out those with poor evasion skills. Only five remained standing, and I could see fear in the eyes of three of them as I created a fire shield around me.

The earth underneath me began to open and I was barely able to jump out of the way in time. Landing a short distance away, I looked up just in time to see a boulder flying toward me. I leaped up, narrowly avoiding it. I spotted the earthbender. She appeared to be blind, but she had no problem knowing where I was, as she continued to levitate and hurl stones in my direction. Using a wall of flames to defend myself from her attack, I realized that she was probably the greatest threat I faced. I had to focus on taking her down.

Creating a pair of fire whips, I wrapped them around her arms, inhibiting her bending ability. I then used them to lift her high up into the air and slammed her into the ground, knocking her out cold. I saw that she was barefoot, and then I understood how she was able to "see" me. I used my whips to singe the bottoms of her feet in case she came to.

This enraged Sokka and he charged at me with his other three lackeys behind him. Pulling out the knives I kept concealed in my sleeves, I blocked the soaring arc of his blade, but the force of the impact pushed me to my knees. The other three soldiers moved in from my left side, and I blasted a stream of fire from my fingertips, taking them out, while my right hand still blocked the sword. Sokka then lifted his blade and tried to hit my right side. I rolled out of the way, and followed with a sweeping leg kick that knocked him onto his back.

I raised my fist back, ready to deliver a killing blow when I felt the crack of a water whip snaking around my wrist, stopping me. I felt my heart drop into the pit of my stomach as I turned, hoping beyond hope that it was not Katara bending.

That hope was shattered as my attacker came into view. Filled with fury and anguish at her betrayal, my eyes met hers.

Suddenly, pain crashed through my skull and the world went black.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

It was cold and there was a dull throbbing in my head. I was laying on my right side in nothing but my underwrappings, and I could feel the cool earth beneath me. I tried to open my eyes, but the surge of pain that slight movement created in my head sent a wave of nausea through me.

Taking a few deep breaths, I got the pain somewhat under control. I decided keeping my eyes closed was the best course of action until the ache in my skull subsided. I tried to move, but found that my wrists and ankles were tightly shackled behind me and chained to a wall. I felt it with my fingertips and realized I was in a cave.

This was not good.

I was unable to effectively firebend in these conditions. It was too cold and I couldn't move. The only thing I had was my breath. I could generate a flame by using breath of fire, but without the sun I wouldn't be able to sustain that for long.

I tried to remember the events leading up to this. It was hard to think with the headache I had, but I couldn't spare another moment for the pain.

The last thing I had felt was a blow to the back of my head. I know it wasn't delivered by the waterbender. It must have been that idiot brother of hers.

The last thing I saw was Katara. Her expression had been unreadable, but I had been clouded by my rage. The memory of her betrayal ate at me. I suddenly felt a pain in my chest and it was difficult to breathe. Why did it hurt so much? It didn't feel like there were any cuts in my flesh and no ribs were broken. I found that I couldn't control the pain with my breath, and I was having trouble pushing it from my mind.

I couldn't believe how stupid I had been. I had gone from would be seducer to the seduced. I let go of my control when I was with her, and that caused me to miss the few instances that should have tipped me off that something was amiss.

Now I was stuck here in what I could only assume was enemy territory. A captive of rebel soldiers.

The last three years of palace life had made me careless, I decided. My boredom had bred loneliness, and I had begun to yearn for things that one in my position should never bother themselves with. This was the weakness my father had warned me about. I silently berated myself for it.

Never again.

If I got out of this—which I was determined I would—there would be hell to pay.

Slowly I began to calm down and get myself under control. I would have to conserve what little energy I had and be prepared for anything. Who knew when an opportunity would strike, but I would be ready to seize it when the time came. The only weapons available to me at the moment were my mind and my ability to manipulate people. Putting my mask firmly in place, I waited.

Just then, two voices began to get closer, both male. One had a low rumble to it, while the other was higher pitched, like a boy's.

"Pipsqueak, how long do you think it will take for the Fire Lord to meet our demands?" I heard the boy ask, finally close enough for me to make out what they were saying. My ears perked up this. So, these rebels were planning on using me as some kind of bargaining chip.

"I don't know. Hopefully, not too long. We'll wait for Sokka's word," replied the low voice, which seemed to boom inside the cave and my head. Even with my eyes closed, I could sense that it was getting lighter as they approached. I could tell they carried light crystals and not flame torches. I was hoping to be closer to my element—any little bit to strengthen my inner fire.

Two pairs of footsteps came to a stop in front of me. "She doesn't look so tough," the boy said.

"Don't underestimate her, the Duke. Princess Azula is a dangerous firebender. She took Toph, a master earthbender, down pretty easily." I was able to deduce from their conversation that neither one of them were part of the ambush.

Suddenly, two large hands grabbed me by the shoulders and pulled me up to sit on my knees. The abrupt movement sent a surge of pain through my head and I couldn't stop the nausea this time. What little I had left in my stomach came spilling out onto Pipsqueak.

"Aw, crap," he said letting go of me, causing the weight of my body to lean forward. I could feel the shackles digging into my wrists and I grimaced. I didn't have the strength to pull myself back and my head fell toward my chin.

"Whoa, check out the size of the lump on her head!" the Duke exclaimed. All this noise wasn't helping to ease the agony I was in.

"That doesn't look so good."

"Maybe we should get Katara to do some waterbending on her." The mention of the waterbender's name was almost enough to make me throw up again.

"Good idea. I have to go change my clothes now anyway. I'll bring her on my way back. In the meantime, try and see if you can get her to drink some of that water." Well, that explained what they were doing here. But the last thing I wanted was to see Katara.

Pipsqueak left then leaving the Duke alone with me. I heard him place something on the floor, which I assumed was the water, before I felt him stand before me. I could feel his eyes inspecting me. Gently placing his hands on my shoulders, he slowly pushed me back so I was sitting on my heels with my back and head pressed against the wall. It was uncomfortable with the shackles there, but I was still too weak to move.

"I still don't think you look so tough." He underestimated me. Good. "You should drink this," he said placing a cup to my lips and tilting it slightly, allowing a small amount of water to flow into my mouth. I swallowed. This continued until the cup was empty. At least the taste of vomit was out of my mouth now.

"Thank you," I said softly. I didn't mean it and it hurt my head like hell to say it, but if I could get this kid to start to trust me, maybe I could work it to my advantage.

"You're welcome," he replied, clearly surprised at my gratitude.

I could hear footsteps running toward us then. They were too light to be Pipsqueak's. They came to a sudden halt and I heard a sharp intake of breath. The Duke brought his attention to the source of the sound.

"Hey, Katara. Did Pipsqueak ask you to do your waterbending on the Princess?"

"Yes. Did she drink any of the water?" Her tone was off somehow.

"Uh-huh. All of it," he said proudly.

"Good. I'm going to need to be alone while I do my bending."

"Okay, Katara. See you later," he replied as he bounded off to wherever he came from. I could sense him hesitate for a moment as he turned back. "See you later too, Princess Azula," he said, almost shyly, before running off once more. I smirked to myself. The kid was definitely intrigued by me.

But now it was just Katara and I. And I knew damn well that she didn't need to be alone to waterbend. I steeled myself for whatever she might throw at me. She'd already played me for a fool. I wouldn't let her do it again.

She knelt down in front of me and placed her hands on either side of my head, as she surrounded it with water. It both soothed and sickened me to be so intimately connected with her element. After several moments of the torture, she pulled her hands and the water away. Ruefully, I had to admit to myself that my head felt a million times better and I had some of my strength back.

I opened my eyes then and met hers. They were filled with what I could only call pity. She placed her hands on my face. I tried to move from her grasp, but she held firm. I clenched my jaw.

"I'm sorry, Azula. It wasn't supposed to happen this way." There was a hint of regret in her voice, but the statement was too cryptic for me to make any sense of it. Then she leaned in and placed a raw kiss on my lips. I closed my eyes. I didn't kiss her back.

Spirits, how I hated her.

Obviously not getting the reaction she wanted, she pulled back. Abruptly standing, she turned to leave, never looking back.

* * *

For the next three days, it was like clockwork. Pipsqueak would come twice a day to bring me to a corner of the cave where I could relieve myself. I was never unshackled, just unchained. I reasoned they gave him this job because of his sheer strength. Should I try to escape, he would simply overpower me in my weakened condition.

The Duke had gotten stuck with the job of bringing me food and drink, but I got the distinct impression that he enjoyed it. He had developed a bit of a crush on me and I made sure to play into that by thanking him for taking such good care of me whenever I got the chance.

I didn't see anyone else during that time, but I gathered from the Duke that the whole rebel group was nearby, closer to the outside of the cave. He said that where I was kept was much deeper down.

A plan started to formulate. I just had to be patient.

* * *

"Princess Azula…" the Duke began.

"You can just call me Azula," I smiled sweetly at him, as I pushed down the memory that accompanied such a statement.

"Okay, Azula," he said, blushing. "I don't think you're as bad as everyone says you are."

"Oh?"

"No. I think you're actually pretty nice."

"That's sweet of you to say. I wish I could do something to repay you for all of the kindness you have shown me." He blushed again.

"Like what?"

"Do you like surprises?"

"I love surprises!" he replied excitedly.

"Me too. I have a surprise for you, but I can't give it to you with my wrists and ankles shackled up like this," I said, disappointed.

"I can take care of that for you, Azula," he said, beaming at me.

"You can?" I asked, trying to sound surprised. I knew this kid had a set of keys that he shared with Pipsqueak.

"Sure," he said, pulling out the keys. This was too easy. He scurried behind me and released the chains and shackles from my wrists. As he did so, I let myself fall forward.

"Azula, are you okay?" he asked, clearly worried.

"My head. It's hurting me again," I explained, filling my voice with pain. His eyes widened.

"Do you want me to get Katara to waterbend on you?"

I nodded meekly and he ran off. I smiled. Positioning myself so that it looked like I was still locked up, I waited.

I had to play this just right. I needed a hostage to ensure my escape. Sokka might be willing to sacrifice one of the other rebels like the Duke, but I knew he'd never sacrifice his own sister.

A few minutes later I heard two pairs of footsteps running toward me. Keeping up the ruse of being in pain, I kept my eyes closed and wore a look of anguish. I could feel Katara getting closer. Just as she got down on her knees, I opened my eyes and leapt up from where I laid. I tackled her to the ground, pushing her face down into the cold earth and throwing the shackles I had once worn onto her wrists.

The Duke stared at me, shocked at the turn of events. "It's too bad everyone was right about me," I said with a wicked smile as I blasted him with a small fireball. I wasn't back to my full strength yet, so it wasn't powerful enough to do any serious damage. But it knocked him out, and that was enough to get him out of the way.

Katara struggled beneath me as she shouted for help. Pressing my fingertips to her neck, I warned her. "You know I can bend now, so if you know what's good for you, you'll be silent," I hissed. She promptly stopped her cries for help.

Pulling her up to her feet and grabbing a nearby light crystal, I made my way to the exit of the cave. I wanted to conserve my flames just in case. After several minutes, I began to hear voices. I knew I was getting close. Carefully peering around a corner, I could make out a handful of rebel soldiers, including Sokka. But I didn't see an opening. I knew it had to be there though.

Using Katara as a shield, I made my presence known. The soldiers all jumped up and got into their fighting stances.

"Let me pass, Sokka, or she gets it," I threatened, producing a small blue flame with my right index finger and placing it next to Katara's throat.

"You're bluffing!"

I responded by lowering my flame to her side and pushing hard, burning her and causing her to cry out in pain.

"I don't bluff. Now, let me out and I promise I won't hurt your sister… much," I finished with a sinister smile. He relented and ordered everyone to stand down and for Toph to open the entranceway. Keeping my flame along side Katara's throat, I exited through the mouth of the cave and back into the warmth of the sun's rays. I threw her to the ground as I channeled the energy of the sun, feeling myself grow stronger. I felt the sizzle of electricity course through me as I blasted a bolt of lightning into the cave. The earthbender threw up a block just in time, separating them from me.

I would get my revenge later. Turning my gaze back onto Katara, she looked up at me with true fear in her eyes. I smiled cruelly at her as I lifted her up and threw her over the back of an ostrich horse that had been grazing outside the cave. I hopped up onto the beast and headed back toward Ba Sing Se.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

Keeping one hand on the reigns, I looked down at Katara, who was lying across the ostrich horse on her stomach. I imagined it wasn't very comfortable, which was my intention, but she knew better than to complain. With my free hand, I grabbed onto her shackled wrists and forced them down into her back, pinning her in place. I heard a soft yelp escape her lips, and the sound brought a smile to my face—like a bearded cat toying with its prey.

I then pushed the ostrich horse at full speed for several miles to put as much distance between the rebels and myself. The area was densely wooded and I realized I wasn't anywhere near the clearing where I had been ambushed. I needed to get my bearings and figure out exactly where I was. I was still wearing nothing but my underwrappings and the golden hairpin I usually wore to indicate my rank was long gone. If I wasn't such a skilled bender and fighter, I might have been worried. Unlike when I was ambushed a few days before, I was ready for a fight.

Finally, I pulled the animal back to a slower gait before moving off the main trail and deeper into the woods. Coming to a stop, I released my hold on Katara and hopped off the beast, before pulling her off and unceremoniously dumping her on the ground. She glared up at me. _"How dare she look at me like that? She's the one who betrayed me."_

I roughly grabbed her by the front of her kimono, and fear began to mix in with her anger toward me. "You made a big mistake betraying me, Katara," I seethed. But I betrayed myself in that moment. I knew the hurt I felt was showing in my eyes, and she saw it. I thought I saw something akin to guilt flash in her eyes, but it was gone before I could be sure.

"_Control, Azula, maintain control,"_ I told myself, repeating words I had heard my father say to me countless times. _"Stay focused. You need to focus on getting home. Then you can exact punishment on her."_ I released my hold on her and took a few breaths. The cold mask was back in place.

"I need information and you're going to give it to me," I told her coolly, casually crossing my arms in front of me. I could tell my abrupt change in behavior threw her off and made her more than a little nervous. "Where are we? And don't even think about lying to me. I promise you'll regret it," I threatened.

"Near Gaipan," she answered reluctantly. I remembered the Earth Kingdom logging village turned Fire Nation outpost. My soldiers and I had stopped there to get supplies three years ago on our way to Ba Sing Se.

Then I realized that Gaipan was at least a week's ride from Ba Sing Se, which made me wonder how long I had been knocked out for. It couldn't have been a full week—maybe a day at most. Those rebels must have transported me to this area by some means other than riding. Flying? But then how did they get so far undetected?

"Azula…" Katara's hesitant voice interrupted my thoughts. My eyes narrowed at her.

"It's _Princess_ Azula, peasant," I sharply reminded her. She looked down at the forest floor. "Which way to Gaipan?" I asked, wanting to get to the outpost as soon as possible.

"The eastern trail will take you there. What's left of it, anyway."

"What do you mean, what's left of it?"

"The whole town was flooded. The dam broke."

"When did this happen?" I asked, suddenly wondering why I hadn't heard of this before. But then again, it was just a small outpost, not a major military base. A flood wouldn't have been urgent news by any means, especially if there was no foul play suspected.

"I'm not sure," she said, still not looking at me. I recognized that tone. The one she used when she didn't want to answer my question. Only this time, she couldn't distract me with seduction.

"You're lying," I replied simply.

She remained silent.

It didn't really matter at this point how it happened. The most important thing was getting to a town or city. The longer I stayed out here without any supplies—or clothes for that matter—the more dangerous it would be. This was not a situation I had ever been in before. While I had spent a fair amount of time leading a military campaign throughout the now fallen Earth Kingdom, I always had resources at my disposal. I had soldiers and servants. And when it was just Ty Lee, Mai, and I, our operation was swiftly carried out within the city walls.

If pressed, I knew I could survive, but the sooner I got out of the wilderness, the better. I suspected Katara knew a thing or two about living out here, but I wasn't desperate enough to let her out of those shackles. So long as her hands were tied behind her back, there was no way she could waterbend.

I recalled my earlier conquests of the Earth Kingdom. The next closest town was Merchant's Pier, although it was to the west, which was the exact opposite direction of Ba Sing Se. But if I continued going east, I would have to cross the Great Divide before getting to any form of civilization. It figured the rebels just had to take me to one of the most sparsely populated areas of the former Earth Kingdom, and therefore had little military occupation. At least Merchant's Pier had a decent amount of Fire Nation soldiers stationed there, not to mention the sailors who often would stop for a respite.

"Get up," I said, making my decision. Katara quickly got to her feet.

"Can I at least ride?" she cautiously asked. I thought over it for a moment.

"That would make things easier, I suppose," I answered with a smirk before lifting her up and sitting her on the back of the ostrich horse. Settling in behind her, I growled into her ear, "Don't do anything stupid." To drive the point home, I dug my heated fingers into her thigh, burning through the fabric of her pants and her skin. She hissed in response and I smiled.

We traveled westward for several more miles in relative silence. There were still a few hours of daylight left, and I wanted to make the most of it. The closer I got to the pier the better.

As it was nearing dusk, I heard the sound of rushing water and began to make my way closer to it. My ostrich horse needed rest and some water. Plus, I hadn't bathed since I was last at the palace, and that was at least four days ago. I needed to clean myself off as much as I was able. Food was also a good idea, but first I needed a drink.

Lifting Katara off the animal, I kept a hold on her she went to take a drink from the river. I knew she wouldn't be able to bend, but I didn't want to take any chances. I lowered my own head to the water, keeping it turned so I would never lose sight of my hostage, even for a second.

As I lifted my mouth from the river's edge, I saw smoke coming up over the trees to my right. It was undoubtedly from the smokestacks of a riverboat. Grabbing Katara, I brought her and my ostrich horse back into the woods.

"Don't even think about making a sound," I warned her, not wanting to take any chances. As the boat came into view, I recognized it as being a Fire Nation patrol boat. I breathed a sigh of relief as I came out of hiding, careful to keep the waterbender in front of me.

The boat made its way to the shore, and six men in Fire Nation uniforms exited and bowed in greeting.

"Princess Azula, we are here to escort you home," the captain explained. I noticed one of the other men—he had long hair and a mustache with a small beard—looking intently at Katara, his fists clenching at his sides. I could feel his anger toward me. It practically rolled off him. Interesting. It was then that I noticed the captain had green eyes, and I realized they weren't Fire Nation soldiers at all.

I simply nodded at the "captain," never betraying what I realized, then surveyed the rest of the "troops." I noticed a young teen boy who looked to be about my size and I locked my eyes on him.

"You, soldier. Strip," I commanded. His eyes widened and he hesitated. Blue fire danced at my fingertips as I glared at him menacingly.

"Fool!" their leader shouted at him. "Do as the princess commanded!" I had to hold back a smirk. They were going to keep up this charade until I was on that boat. The boy quickly stripped down to his underwrappings and looked at me questioningly.

"Toss those over to me," I ordered. He complied. Never releasing my grip on Katara, who I was using as a shield—not for any kind of protection, although it certainly insured it, but rather to shield my half naked body from the prying eyes of these peasants—I hastily put on the pants, boots, and the shirt. The armor would have to wait until later.

"Would you like us to take the prisoner for you, Princess?" their leader asked, obviously trying to get her away from me. They knew her.

"No, it's much more fun to keep her close," I explained with a dark smile as I let my free hand wander up the front of her body, as my other tightened its hold on her wrists. Bringing my lips closer to her, I breathed hotly into ear before biting down. A whimper escaped her lips, and I could feel the heat rising in her body, as her pulse quickened. But she wasn't the only one to react, which was just what I was hoping for.

The man with the mustache took a step forward, and before anyone could stop him, rooted his feet into an earthbending stance and levitated a rock the size of his head, ready to strike.

"Let go of her!" he commanded, taking another step closer to us.

"Haru, stop!" Katara called out to him.

But it was too late. All six of them were earthbender rebels and were forced to give up their cover now that Haru had blown the lid off the whole thing.

"How about we make a deal? Your boat for my waterbender," I proposed. The possessive word choice was not lost on anyone and only served to infuriate Haru more. People tended to make mistakes when they got too emotional. That was always my brother's problem.

"What's there to think about? I think it's a fair tradeoff really. Then your girlfriend here can tell you all about the time she spent between my legs," I taunted Haru, ignoring some unknown emotion that started to creep up. That pushed him over the edge, and he went to attack me. Quickly applying two pressure points that Ty Lee had taught me to Katara's back, I incapacitated her before dropping her on the ground.

Just as his levitating rock was about to hit me, I ducked out of the way. He charged at me then, completely consumed by his anger. I easily took him down with a fire ball, and he fell back onto the earth with a thud. With two fire daggers in my hands, I jumped on top of his unconscious body, placing the flames to his throat.

"New deal," I said looking up at their leader. "Your boat or his life."

There was no hesitation. "Take the boat."

"Good choice. Now walk over to the edge of the woods, but stay where I can see you. Or else." The five men did as I said. Katara was a few feet behind me, and I knew the effects of the pressure points were wearing off. I had only hit her hard enough to block off her energy for a few minutes. Carrying dead weight was not my idea of fun.

"You will do exactly as I say, Katara, or your boyfriend dies," I threatened without looking at her. I was tempted to kill him anyway. Was this what jealousy felt like? "Get up."

I felt her eyes burning into my back, but she got up as I commanded.

"Come over here where I can see you." She came into view and looked down at me. There was such a jumbled up mix of emotions playing out in her eyes. I knew she couldn't tell whether to hate me or fear me. Fitting. I didn't know whether to hate her or desire her.

"Get on the boat and wait on deck." She looked away from me and began to walk toward the boat.

Getting off of Haru, I dragged him by the collar of his shirt and up the ramp of the patrol boat before depositing him on deck.

"What are you doing? You said you'd spare his life!" their leader called out to me.

"Right. And I did," I pointed out. "Letting you keep him wasn't part of the bargain."

I could see the anguish in his eyes as the man beside him placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. My suspicions were correct. Haru was his son.

"If you try to come after me, I won't hesitate to kill him," I warned them so that I could let them out of my sight long enough to get the boat moving. They knew I meant it.

I pulled up the ramp and turned to go into main cabin. I glanced down at Haru who was still unconscious. Katara was at his side looking worriedly at him.

"Were you this concerned about me when your brother knocked me out from behind?" I asked her bitterly. Before she could answer, I walked into the main cabin to get the boat moving.

Fortunately, these kind of patrol boats were small enough to be operated by one person and the river was wide enough where if I left it unattended for some time, I wouldn't have to worry about it crashing into another boat.

The natural current of the river flowed to the west, which was exactly how I needed to go to get to Merchant's Pier. After I got the boat moving, I made my way back onto the deck to my two prisoners.

"Let's go, Katara," I said, as I grabbed a hold of Haru and started to drag him down to the holding cells below the deck. Coming to the first holding cell, I tossed him inside before locking it up. There was no need to chain him up. The entire boat was made of metal—not a spec of earth in sight.

I turned to face my other prisoner. She wouldn't look at me. I roughly led her to the opposite end of the holding cells, and pushed her into a cell.

"What goes around comes around," I explained with a predatory glare, shackling her ankles and chaining her to the wall just like had been done to me.

The careful control I had kept on my emotions all day was slowly starting to crack, and my anger began to creep in. I smacked her hard across the face. She gritted her teeth as tears sprang to her eyes.

"You'll regret betraying me," I growled before exiting her cell and slamming the door shut.

"I already do," she quietly admitted, slowly lifting her head to look at me.

"Good," I replied with a sneer. I turned my back to her and walked up to the deck, ignoring the feelings that were threatening to distract me. I had a larger problem on my hands that needed immediate attention. This rebel uprising was turning out to be more than I bargained for.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

I sat in the cabin, watching the shores of the river and waters ahead intently. I was on edge. Nothing was what it seemed lately, and so I couldn't afford to let my guard down for one second.

It was getting late, and I was hungry and dirty. I almost laughed—this was certainly no way for a princess to travel. No matter. I would arrive at Merchant's Pier within the hour. There I knew I could get a bath and a hot meal—unlike the trail rations I had found in the cabin—as well as some real Fire Nation soldiers to escort me home. Until then, I only had myself.

Despite needing to keep my focus on my surroundings, I couldn't stop my mind from wandering back to my prisoners down below. To Katara. Having her so close all day, especially while riding on the ostrich horse… I didn't know whether I wanted to kiss her or kill her. She told me she already regretted betraying me. What did she mean by that? I was pretty sure I knew, but I didn't want to believe it. Not after what happened in that clearing.

The smell of burning wood drew me from my thoughts, and I looked down at the steering wheel I was gripping tightly, only to see it smoking and charred. I had to get my temper under control. It would do me no good to act like Zuzu.

I took a breath. My breath always centered me—gave me strength.

Moments later I saw lights playing against the ripples of the water, and, with some relief, realized that I was entering the waters of Merchant's Pier. I brought the boat in to one of the open docks. I could see men in Fire Nation uniforms stationed there. Of course, after what happened mere hours ago, I kept my guard up.

"Who goes there?" I heard a man's voice call out from the dock as I made my way to the deck.

"Princess Azula," I replied in a strong and even tone. Several of the men laughed.

"Right, and I'm Fire Lord Ozai," another shot back sarcastically. My eyes narrowed at him. I was in no mood for this nonsense, especially after everything I'd been through the last few days.

I let loose a stream of blue flames at the group of soldiers, burning the two closest to me, and they cried out in pain. Realizing their error, all of them—even the two I had burned—immediately prostrated before me.

"Our apologies, Princess Azula. Please forgive us," one of them pleaded. Pathetic. But it did make me feel better to see them grovel before me. My lips curled up into a smirk.

"How many of you are firebenders?" I asked, still remaining on the deck. I wasn't about to walk into a trap if I could help it. I wanted to know who I was dealing with. Patrolmen and guards were lower on the military totem pole, so most of them weren't benders—although they were usually skilled fighters.

Three of them stood then, keeping their gaze low.

"Look at me," I commanded. They did and I saw the amber irises that proved their firebending ability. "Who is your superior officer?" I asked.

"Colonel Shinu, highness," the one nearest to me replied.

"Fetch him for me immediately."

"By your will, Princess." He bowed quickly before running off.

I want you two on my boat now," I ordered the other two benders. "The rest of you, get out of my sight."

* * *

Word was sent to my personal guard to come and provide me with a proper escort home. Fortunately, they weren't too far from Merchant's Pier. Colonel Shinu informed me that he had received a visit from the captain of my guard, Tenzu, a day earlier to tell him that I had gone missing, but was warned to be discreet about it. Of course it would do no good to let the people know that something had possibly happened to the Fire Nation Princess. I appreciated my captain's sensibility. That was part of why he was my captain after all.

While I waited for them, the Colonel had a bath and a clean uniform arranged for me, as well as a decent meal. He assigned his best firebending soldiers to watch over my two prisoners to ensure they would not escape. I was looking forward to interrogating the earthbender. He was obviously in love with Katara, and I would make him hurt for that.

"_And what of her feelings for him? Would you make her hurt for that?"_ some voice in my mind crept up. It sounded so much like my mother. I often thought of my parents as the devil and the angel on either shoulder, pulling me in opposite directions. Who was the devil and who was the angel, I was never really sure of. But after my mother disappeared nearly ten years ago, the conflict within me seemed to stop. Things became clearer with only my father to guide me.

I didn't need this right now. I needed to keep a level head. I didn't know what was wrong with me, why I was having such a hard time focusing—keeping my mind off that damn waterbender.

Why did her betrayal anger me so? Why did it still hurt? Nothing hurt like this. Not even my mother favoring Zuzu all those years ago. I was always able to put things out of my mind. Why not this?

"Princess Azula, your personal guard has arrived," Colonel Shinu's voice broke into my thoughts.

"It's about time," I replied, getting up from my seat, welcoming the distraction.

I followed the colonel outside where Captain Tenzu and my entire guard awaited. I also noticed a handful of Dai Li with them. They all bowed before me.

"Are you ready to depart, highness?" my captain asked. I could see some concern in his eyes, but he knew better than to ask questions about my wellbeing.

"Absolutely," I replied as I walked toward the airship. My soldiers lined up on either side of me. "Walk with me, Tenzu." He fell in step beside me. "Have the prisoners been secured?"

"Yes, Princess. They have been locked in the holding cells of your airship. We've taken the extra precaution of shackling them. Two guards have been assigned to watching over them as well."

"Good," I approved with a smile. We walked in silence for several moments.

"May I ask you something, Princess?" he began a bit hesitantly.

"You may, but don't assume you'll get an answer."

"The girl. She looked familiar. Is she the same girl who was at the palace two weeks ago?"

I had to admit, it was hard to put much past him. As embarrassing as it was for me, I knew he wasn't looking to do that. He was good at his job and I knew he was just as determined as I was to solve this rebel problem.

"Yes, she was," I said, not betraying a single emotion.

"I thought so. We, um, had her tracked after she left." My ears perked up at this. "She managed to evade the Dai Li after a few days, but the paths she traveled led us to others who we were able to gather some information from—although it was a bit sketchy. During the time you had gone missing, we were able to garner some more solid information," he explained.

"I'm going to want a full report upon our arrival at the palace." My voice still betrayed nothing, but my fists were clenched so tightly that my fingernails had drawn blood.

"By your will, Princess."

* * *

_It was cold and dark. Once again, I couldn't move—my arms were shackled above my head._

_Suddenly, chilling blue eyes were all I could see. I felt like I was suffocating. Drowning._

_"Oh, Azula," her voice dripped with pity. "Did the great Fire Nation Princess fall in love with me? Did you actually think someone like me could ever love a monster like you?" She laughed cruelly as her face began to distort._

I woke up with a start, my breath coming in deep, ragged gulps. The air almost felt like it was burning my lungs, the suffocating sensation of my dream so realistic. After several minutes, the pain subsided.

Rolling over onto my side, I glanced at the candle on the side table. It had barely burned down. I sighed and sat up in my bed. Katara's voice played over in my head. _"Did the great Fire Nation Princess fall in love with me?"_

"No, I did not fall in love with you, you filthy peasant!" I shouted into the empty cabin.

There was a knock on my door. "Is everything alright, Princess?" came the muffled voice of a guard. "I thought I heard shouting."

"Yes, everything's fine," I called back to him. Falling back onto the mattress, I attempted to go back to sleep, but it wasn't coming. Funny. I would have thought after four nights of not sleeping in a bed, it would come easily.

The airship was due to arrive in Ba Sing Se at dawn. I could either continue to lay here or do something useful with my time—like check in on my prisoners.

"_And why do you want to do that?"_ that voice popped into my head again.

To see if they'll reveal anything that could be useful.

"_Is that all?"_ I ignored the question and headed down below to the holding cells.

* * *

Hiding in the shadows, I observed Katara, who was sleeping, and Haru, who had finally regained consciousness.

He groaned loudly upon finding he was restrained and imprisoned. The sound was loud enough to wake Katara.

"Haru, are you alright?" she asked him in soft tones.

"As alright as I can be, all things considered."

They were silent for several moments.

"I'm sorry I lost my temper, Katara. I know I put everyone in danger. But I just couldn't stand to see Azula touching you that way."

"It wasn't anything I couldn't handle. You didn't need to do that."

"I was just trying to protect you."

"I'm not as helpless as you seem to think I am, Haru."

"Did she hurt you?" he asked, looking at the burns I had left on her body.

"Not as much as I hurt her." She almost sounded sad, but I told myself that my ears were playing tricks on me.

"So there was some truth to what she said after all?" There was anger in his voice now.

"And what if there was? It's none of your business."

"It _is_ my business. How could let that Fire Nation filth touch you like that?"

I was tempted to make myself known and make him pay for those remarks, but I waited to see what Katara would say. Now, I wasn't so sure of the nature of their relationship anymore.

"Look," her voice took on a slight edge, "who I let touch me is no longer your concern. I'm sorry, Haru, but what happened between us is in the past."

I could see tears welling up in his eyes. "I don't understand, Katara. Of all people, why her?"

She sighed. "It's complicated. And I'm not proud of what I did, but I felt it was the only way."

"Only way? Only way for what?" he asked, echoing my exact thoughts.

"To win the war. I seduced Azula with that purpose in mind. But somewhere along the way, it started to get complicated. I think she actually cared about me, and I started to feel guilty about what I was doing to her."

Upon hearing those words, I immediately slipped out of the holding cells and ran up to the deck. My head was spinning—I had never felt so many conflicting emotions all at once in my life.

I stared up at the stars that burned white-hot with the coldest fire of all, wishing that they would somehow burn away the ache that I felt.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

"Here is the report you requested, highness. It's as thorough as we could make it," Tenzu explained as he handed me a stack of scrolls. "The Dai Li is still gathering information as we speak and will keep you up-to-date on any and all findings. We knew that the rebels had taken you hostage somewhere near Gaipan, which is why we were in the area. But it was impossible to find an exact location."

"That's because they used earthbending to seal themselves within the caves of the mountains. Tell me, Tenzu. What exactly did the rebels demand of my father?"

"They wanted an exchange. The Earth Kingdom's freedom in exchange for your life."

"I see. Too bad for them," I replied smugly, but internally I cringed at the idea. I knew my father well enough to know that he would not give them back their land—even if it meant sacrificing me. It was something I had accepted long ago, and I wasn't worried that I would disgrace him like Zuzu had. It was worth it, of course, because one day I would be sitting on that throne.

I began to flip through the report, which began with an overview of the Dai Li's findings. In the process of tracking Katara when she had first left my palace, they were able to capture a scout who worked under Sokka. He had given up information after a few techniques were delivered to loosen his tongue.

As I had begun to suspect, there was more than one rebel group. There were many cells networked together. How many exactly was unknown. The Dai Li were only able to confirm two, and of course, they were the two I had encountered. Unfortunately, it seemed that only the leaders of each cell knew of the other cells' specific activity, so the scout the Dai Li had captured could only be so useful.

The next section of the report consisted of profiles and sketches of each of the rebels they had managed to identify. Some appeared to be more comprehensive than others.

_**Sokka of the Southern Water Tribe**_

_Sex:__ Male_

_Age:__ 18_

_Hair color:__ Brown_

_Eye color:__ Blue_

_Background information:__ Born to Chief Hakoda (imprisoned) and Kya (deceased) at the South Pole. Has one sibling, a younger sister, Katara. Is a refugee who has recently resided in the lower and upper rings of Ba Sing Se. Is a skilled warrior and tactician. Is the leader of his rebel cell._

_Status:__ At large._

No big surprises there.

I came to the next page and the second I saw the sketch, I felt a tightness in my chest.

_**Katara of the Southern Water Tribe**_

_Sex: __Female_

_Age:__ 17_

_Hair color:__ Brown_

_Eye color:__ Blue_

_Background information:__ Born to Chief Hakoda (imprisoned) and Kya (deceased) at the South Pole. Has one sibling, an older brother, Sokka. Is a refugee who has recently resided in the lower and upper rings of Ba Sing Se. Is a master waterbender, and is believed to be the last living waterbender from the South Pole. Is a member of Sokka's rebel cell._

_Status:__ Imprisoned._

"Princess?" Tenzu asked with some concern.

I didn't respond. Instead I quickly turned the page, trying to pretend the waterbender didn't exist.

_**Toph Bei Fong**_

_Sex:__ Female_

_Age:__ 15_

_Hair color:__ Black_

_Eye color:__ Light green (blind)_

_Background information:__ Born in Gaoling. Is the only child of Lao and Poppy Bei Fong (both deceased). Inherited her parents' wealth and has used that money to help support the cost of the rebel movement. Despite her blindness, is a master earthbender and possesses a unique ability to metalbend. Is a member of Sokka's rebel cell._

_Status:__ At large._

This certainly explained a lot. Between her resources and her bending abilities, she was a formidable opponent to say the least.

_**Pipsqueak**_

_Sex:__ Male_

_Age:__ 21_

_Hair color:__ Brown_

_Eye color:__ Brown_

_Background information:__ Earth Kingdom native. Birthplace and parents' identity unknown. Possesses brute strength and is a skilled fighter. Weapon of choice is a wooden club. Fights in a guerilla style. Is a member of Sokka's rebel cell._

_Status:__ At large._

_**The Duke**_

_Sex:__ Male_

_Age:__ 12_

_Hair color:__ Brown_

_Eye color:__ Brown_

_Background information:__ Earth Kingdom native. Birthplace and parents' identity unknown. Was orphaned at a young age. Fights in a guerilla style. Is a member of Sokka's rebel cell._

_Status:__ At large._

_**Ping**_

_Sex:__ Male_

_Age:__ 15_

_Hair color:__ Brown_

_Eye color:__ Green_

_Background information:__ Born in Makapu Village. Has an identical twin brother, Poi. His weapon of choice is a short sword. Is a member of Sokka's rebel cell._

_Status:__ At large._

_**Sneers**_

_Sex:__ Male_

_Age:__ 20_

_Hair color:__ Brown_

_Eye color:__ Brown_

_Background information:__ Earth Kingdom native. Birthplace and parents' identity unknown. He served as a scout for Sokka's rebel cell. Died while trying to escape the Dai Li's interrogation, but provided them with enough information to profile those in Sokka's cell._

_Status:__ Deceased._

"I know there are more than these seven in this cell. A dozen of them attacked me, and there were several more at their hideout that weren't part of the ambush," I stated to my captain.

"We had figured as much. The Dai Li is currently looking for them where you instructed, but they have remained elusive. But I think the next six will please you, Princess," he replied.

"Oh?" I asked, but was already reading on.

_**Tyro**_

_Sex:__ Male_

_Age:__ 57_

_Hair color:__ White_

_Eye color:__ Green_

_Background information:__ Not much is known about him other than he used to be the leader of a small coal mining village and spent time in an offshore prison rig before escaping three years ago. His whereabouts had been unknown until now. Has one son, Haru. He is a skilled earthbender and is the leader of his rebel cell._

_Status:__ Imprisoned._

_**Gansu**_

_Sex:__ Male_

_Age:__ 42_

_Hair color:__ Brown_

_Eye color:__ Green_

_Background information:__ A former Earth Kingdom farmer. Wife, Sela and son Lee are deceased. Has one other son Sensu. Has decent earthbending skills and is a member of Tyro's rebel cell._

_Status:__ Imprisoned._

_**Haru**_

_Sex:__ Male_

_Age:__ 19_

_Hair color:__ Brown_

_Eye color:__ Green_

_Background information:__ Born to Tyro in a small Earth Kingdom coal mining village. Disappeared three years ago shortly after aiding his father's escape from prison. He is a skilled earthbender and is a member of Tyro's cell._

_Status:__ Imprisoned._

_**Sensu**_

_Sex:__ Male_

_Age:__ 23_

_Hair color:__ Brown_

_Eye color:__ Green_

_Background information:__ Born to Gansu and Sela (deceased) on an Earth Kingdom farm. Fought as an Earth Kingdom soldier and was a POW for some time before Gansu helped him escape. Has solid earthbending skill and is a member of Tyro's rebel cell._

_Status:__ Imprisoned._

_**Poi**_

_Sex:__ Male_

_Age:__ 15_

_Hair color:__ Brown_

_Eye color:__ Green_

_Background information:__ Born in Makapu Village. Has an identical twin brother, Ping. He is a proficient earthbender and is a member of Tyro's rebel cell._

_Status:__ Imprisoned._

I remembered this boy. He was the one who's uniform I had taken.

_**Yung**_

_Sex:__ Male_

_Age:__ 36_

_Hair color:__ Black_

_Eye color:__ Green_

_Background information:__ The former captain of King Bumi's army. He had been imprisoned previously for leading resistance movements against the Fire Nation, but escaped two months ago. Is a highly skilled earthbender and is a member of Tyro's rebel cell._

_Status:__ Imprisoned_.

"Glad to see you were able to track them down. Where are they being held?" I asked.

"Currently they are on an airship being transferred here for interrogation," Tenzu explained. I nodded in satisfaction.

_**June**_

_Sex:__ Female_

_Age:__ 25_

_Hair color:__ Black_

_Eye color:__ Gray_

_Background information:__ Born in the Earth Kingdom to the infamous bounty hunter, Tycho (deceased). A bounty hunter in her own right, she is a mercenary who's only allegiance is to the highest bidder. She has been hired by Toph Bei Fong. For what purpose is still unknown at this time._

_Status:__ At large._

"Now this one is interesting," I told Tenzu, handing him the scroll. "We might be able to use this to our advantage."

His eyes took on a mischievous glint that matched mine. "I believe you're right, Princess."

A knock at the door interrupted our planning. "Enter," I commanded. My political advisor stepped in, bowing before me. "What is it?"

"A message has just arrived, Princess Azula. Fire Lord Orzai is going to be here in two days time," he explained.

I nodded at him and he bowed once more before leaving. This wasn't good news by any means.

* * *

With my father's impending arrival, I needed to have this rebel situation well in hand. I knew that he wasn't coming for a social visit. He's always been a man with a purpose.

The five men who traveled with Haru hadn't arrived yet, and by the looks of things, could be delayed a bit. There was a major storm brewing in the eastern skies. No way for an airship to travel through that once it started raining. The one good thing about that was my father would most likely be delayed as well, giving me and the Dai Li more time to gather information and, hopefully, more prisoners. Until then, I only had Haru and Katara to interrogate.

I made my way to the palace's prison tower that was similar to the one in the Fire Nation capital. Every prisoner was kept in solitary confinement, making them all the easier to break. I wasn't ready to face the waterbender so decided to see the earthbender first.

Peering through the viewer, I could see my captive slumped against the back corner of the small metal cell. He was chained, but not enough to completely impede his movement, just limit it. There were no windows, so I would have to provide my own light.

As I entered, Haru's head jerked up, his green eyes flashing in alarm. Since his arrival yesterday, he hadn't seen anyone. I only allowed him to be brought water, but deprived him of food. Sometimes starvation was enough to get a prisoner to talk.

"What do you want?" he spat.

I crossed my arms and raised an eyebrow at him. "My, my, aren't we touchy. Can't even greet your princess with a proper hello? But I suppose that would be hard for your small, peasant brain to comprehend."

"You are _not_ my princess!" he growled.

I smiled. "Newsflash. The Fire Nation won the war. I am the conqueror of Ba Sing Se, which makes me your princess."

"The war isn't over."

"You really think a pathetic bunch of rebels are going to push back an entire Fire Nation occupation?"

"That pathetic bunch of rebels captured you, didn't they?"

"Yes, and we see how well that worked out," I replied with a hard glare, gesturing at the cell I was standing in. "You know, we have your entire cell, including your father, in captivity. You could make things a lot easier on them if you answer a few questions for me. Maybe I'll even throw in some food for all of you." His stomach grumbled in response.

"I'll never tell you anything."

"That's a shame. I was hoping we could do this in a civilized way." My voice was sweet but my body was taught, ready to pounce at any moment.

He looked at me uncertainly then, apprehension in his eyes, as he braced for the physical blow that never came.

"I always get what I want, Haru," I explained, my voice taking on a darker tone. "And I want you to tell me everything you know about this rebel plot. And if you don't give me what I want, I can promise you one thing: the girl you love will suffer slowly and painfully at my hands as a result."

His eyes widened in fear, but held utter contempt for me.

"Would you like me to explain the details to you?" I slipped back into a casual tone, as if we were discussing the weather.

He shook his head. "I'll give you what you want," he relented. I smiled coldly at him.

* * *

Haru had told me everything he knew, which, unfortunately for me, wasn't much. Sure, I learned the ins-and-outs of his particular cell and their immediate plans, but what I really needed to know were names and locations of other cells.

There was one thing though that was somewhat informative. The reason his group was patrolling the river on the day of my escape was because Tyro had received word from Sokka to be on the lookout for me and Katara.

It turned out the ambush and my subsequent capture was all planned by Sokka and that he was the mastermind of the whole plot. Tyro simply waited for orders from him, and he would disseminate those orders to his group.

I imaged that if I were able to get Tyro to talk, which I was certain I would, I could get more details on the full nature of the plot. But until then, there was someone else who I knew had the information I needed—Katara.

The feeling of control and self-assuredness I had with Haru all but vanished when I thought of being the same space as her. But I didn't have time to delay. Not with my father's impending visit.

* * *

Taking several deep breaths, I entered Katara's cell. She sat against the wall, her knees hugged into her body, as she rested her forehead on them. Her chains were a little more restrictive than Haru's, but her wrists were no longer shackled together behind her back.

She lifted her head to look at me upon hearing the cell door closing. It looked like she had been crying.

Silence stretched on between us for long moments.

"I was beginning to think you weren't going to come," she finally spoke. She sounded worried—not that I wouldn't come—about something else.

"You almost sound like you care," I replied dryly.

"I do care," she came back at me, those blues eyes boring into my spirit with so much emotion. I closed my eyes to break the contact. Opening them again, I glared back.

"No you don't. I know that you were just using me to advance your rebel plot, so you can stop pretending now." I sounded remarkably well-controlled considering that it felt like my heart was shattering into a million pieces. No wonder my father had called this a weakness.

"I admit, at first, that's exactly what I was doing," she admitted, sounding ashamed. I felt my whole body fill with a tense anger. "It wasn't hard, because despite how I felt about you at first, you're definitely easy on the eyes." She looked at me appreciatively with that saucy smile I had seen so often in the guestroom of the palace. "I knew what I was doing wasn't fair, it wasn't right, but there are sacrifices we have to make in times of war…"

I said nothing and waited for her to continue. Even if it hurt to hear it, I had to know everything.

"But I came to realize that you have made sacrifices because of this war as well. You sacrificed your humanity for your country, for your Fire Lord. And when you were alone with me, I saw a very different side of you. The human side. And I started to feel guilty about my seduction."

She got up to stand then, and in the small cell, her body was only inches from mine.

"I'm sorry, Azula. I'm sorry I hurt you," she said softly.

"I don't need your pity, Katara," I finally said, my voice barely above a whisper and filled with anger, but I found myself unwilling to move from my spot.

"I don't pity you. I meant what I said yesterday. I regret betraying you."

"Why?" I asked.

"Because I care about you," she replied simply and before I realized what was happening, her lips were on mine.

I was so caught up in the moment, that I had completely lost sight of why I had come in the first place: to get information about their plot. Hazily, I realized I still didn't know why she had seduced me in the first place. What was the real endgame?

I abruptly pulled away from her and put as much distance between us as I could without leaving the holding cell.

"How stupid do you think I am, Katara?" I asked scathingly.

"I'm telling you the truth," she pleaded with me. "And I can prove it to you."

"Sorry, but I've already fallen for that trick once before."

"I'm not talking about that," she said shaking her head at my line of thinking. "Firebenders have weaknesses, don't they?" It wasn't a question; she already knew the answer. "Extremely cold temperatures and being underwater will weaken your powers. But they can be completely negated, you know."

I knew. I could still remember clearly three years ago when I lost my firebending ability for eight minutes. It was not a good feeling at all, but fortunately, I had been at the Fire Nation capital at the time and was safe.

"There's going to be a solar eclipse. Today."


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

"A solar eclipse? Exactly when today?" I asked, trying not to panic.

"Two hours and three minutes past noon."

Twenty-two minutes. Damn.

"Princess! There's been a breach at the prison's entrance," a guard called out. I turned to look out the viewer to see a half dozen of them running toward the cells.

Opening the door of Katara's cell, I asked him, "What happened?"

"Three benders—two earth, one water—took out the guards stationed out front. They're making their way up, but we'll only be able to hold them off for so long. They are master benders."

I could kick myself for not having at least some Dai Li here at the prison tower. It never made sense before now—there were always more useful and efficient ways to use their talents besides simply looking after prisoners.

There was no way out of the tower other than through the front entrance. I would have to go through the trespassers. While I was a master firebender in my own right, to take on three master benders, especially with the fast approaching eclipse, was more than a little daunting.

Leaving Katara's cell, I resigned myself to fighting them before the eclipse came. Then maybe I would have a chance to get out of this alive.

"Azula, wait! I can help you fight!"

"No way, Katara," I shook my head with a slight smile. "You may have been telling me the truth about the eclipse, but I still don't trust you. You're staying right where you are."

"Eclipse, highness?" a soldier nervously asked.

"Yes. We have twenty minutes before we lose our bending. Let's get rid of these pests before that time comes," I said confidently before taking off into a run, with the guards following close behind.

I certainly could have used Mai and Ty Lee right about then.

* * *

As I reached the landing of the second floor, I saw a dozen guards—only half of them with firebending ability—tussling with three men. One of them noticed my arrival and raising one eyebrow, smiled at me before striking the ground with his feet, sending a fissure in my direction. I easily avoided it by jumping up in the air before propelling myself off the wall, shooting streams of blue fire at him from my fists. He threw up a rock shield, deflecting my flames.

The other earthbender effectively took out guard after guard, skillfully blocking all firebending attacks thrown his way. My bender began launching a rapid succession of earth blocks at me, and it took all my effort to either dodge or break them with fireballs. Unfortunately, in the process of defending his attack, I ended up in a corner. I cursed myself for having so much of this prison made out of rock instead of metal.

"Now, Sangok! While I've got the princess occupied!" the man I fought called out to the waterbender.

"I'm on it, Boulder," he replied as he took off in the direction of the stairs, knocking down guards with water whips as he went.

At such a close range, it was more difficult to generate my most powerful attacks, which involved spinning my body to maximize the damage I could deliver. But I could still be effective and hopefully create some space to fight in. Drawing in a deep breath, I countered Boulder's attack with a steady stream of fire bombs. He then wrapped his entire body in rock and charged at me.

I jumped up to avoid him, and as I came down, swept my legs out, sending an arc of fire toward the back of his head. The force of the impact sent him forward and he smashed into the wall, his earth armor falling away.

The eclipse was minutes away, and I needed to finish this fight now. I charged up for a lightning attack.

Before I could get it off, two slabs of rock crashed into me from either side. I felt and heard the cracking of ribs before two more slabs come in from the front and back, knocking the wind out of me. I was trapped.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the other earthbender—the one who had encased me in rock.

I could see the look of triumph on his face as he walked around to my front side. My breath was coming in short gasps, but slowly began to deepen as I recovered from the impact. It hurt my ribs to breathe, but it was all I had left now.

Inhaling, I gathered all my energy to my core, preparing for breath of fire. As I went to exhale, the flame came out a weak red, and I felt my bending sapped from me. The eclipse had begun.

"Not so tough without your bending, are you, Princess?" he taunted me.

"Seeing as you need an eclipse to defeat me, you aren't so tough _with_ your bending," I shot back. I had no idea how long this particular eclipse would last, but I hoped somehow I could distract him from landing a killing blow during that time.

"Today is my lucky day," he said, his smile growing as he ignored my comment.

Boulder began to stir and slowly shook the rock off himself before coming to stand next to his friend.

"And why is today your lucky day?" I asked them, pretending to be oblivious to my predicament.

"Tell her, Hippo," Boulder said to him smugly.

"We weren't expecting you to be here too. Too bad for Sokka. I know he was looking forward to taking you down himself," Hippo replied. "I'll make sure to send him your regards," he finished, crouching into his stance as he raised his arms to crush the rock surrounding me.

I stared him down, preparing for the inevitable.

Before he could get his move off, a water jet blasted him in the side, knocking him into Boulder, as they both fell to the floor. The water began to quickly creep along the ground before covering them both up to their necks in an ice prison. They struggled against it, trying to break free.

I looked over to the source of the waterbending.

"Katara?"

Her eyes met mine, and for the first time since the ambush, I actually entertained the idea that she was sincere about caring about me.

"I can free you from that rock, but on one condition—promise not to hurt them."

I wasn't exactly in a position to refuse her help, but I didn't want to agree to her condition.

"I promise," I said with a nod, fully intending to go back on my word.

Compressing the water in her hands, she formed a water knife. With a swift series of arm movements, the knife effortlessly cut through the rock.

"Katara, what are you doing?" Boulder asked.

She didn't answer him. Within seconds, the rock slab to my left had been dismantled. Just one more slab to go, and I would be free of my bonds.

"Katara!" Hippo shouted. "How could you?"

There were unshed tears in her eyes as she tried to ignore the words of her friends. The slab behind me crumbled down and I gingerly stepped away from the rock and closer to Katara.

I winced. My ribs were killing me with every breath I took. The floor was littered with the bodies of fallen guards.

"Are you okay?" she asked me, her voice cracking and barely above a whisper, as she moved next to me. She placed a hand on my arm, and I felt a shiver go through me.

"I'm fine…" The sound of footsteps running up the stairs stopped my train of thought. I tensed, bracing myself for whoever was about to come through the door.

To my relief, it was a troop of Dai Li.

"Are you alright, Princess?" one of them asked.

"Fine." Pointing at Hippo and Boulder, I ordered, "Arrest them immediately."

Katara began to sob quietly. I looked at her then. She knew I had every intention of going back on my promise. "Where's the waterbender who was with them?" I asked her.

"He's upstairs in the cell you had me in," she regretfully explained.

"Make sure he's secured," I commanded the Dai Li closest to the floor landing.

"And the girl?"

Common sense told me to have her locked up again, but once again, my common sense was muddied by emotion—my desire. _"Fine,"_ I thought to myself with a smirk.

I nodded subtly at the agent, who knew the command all too well. Metal cuffs shot out from his sleeve and captured Katara's wrists.

"What are you doing?" she exclaimed, clearly surprised.

"You're coming back to the palace with me. For interrogation," I finished with a dark smile.

Seconds later, I felt a surge of heat and power course through my body. My firebending had returned.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

"How great were the losses, Tenzu?"

"Half of your personal guard was killed, highness," he reported. There was a long gash along his arm that had been stitched up and he was walking with a noticeable limp. He was one of the lucky ones. "If it weren't for the Dai Li, we probably wouldn't be having this conversation right now."

"And what of the rest of the military forces on the continent?"

"We're still waiting to receive word from the respective commanders, but it doesn't look good," he noted grimly.

Within Ba Sing Se alone, there were dozens of rebel troops who had infiltrated the military ranks. When the eclipse came, it was chaos, and without their bending, many Fire Nation soldiers had lost their lives. They never knew what hit them.

"Princess," a Dai Li agent greeted as he entered the war room. "June is here with your bounty."

"Finally, something is going right today," I replied with a wry smile. "I have to see to my new prisoners. Let me know when you receive word from my commanders, Captain."

* * *

"Here they are, Princess. As promised," June said, dropping a bundle from her shirshu before releasing the sturdy wooden crate that was dragged from behind the beast.

"Excellent. And, as promised, here is your payment," I replied as a servant handed her a large sack of coins.

"It's been a pleasure doing business with you," she smiled, satisfied with the result of her work. She bowed slightly—I could tell it bothered her to bow to anyone—before jumping up onto her shirshu. "Let's go, Nyla."

I smiled wickedly to myself. "You know what to do with them," I ordered the Dai Li who were with me. I would interrogate my new prisoners later, after the Dai Li had gotten them nice and comfortable. Revenge was going to be fun, I decided.

But first, I had some unfinished business with a certain waterbender to take care of.

* * *

"Hmm… I think I prefer you like that," I commented with a smirk as I entered my chambers. Katara was laying on my bed with her arms and legs bound together, as per my orders. "I'll untie you if I like what I hear."

"How can you do this to me after I saved your life?" she asked indignantly.

"Are you seriously asking me? For starters, you seduced me just so you could stab me in the back. And to top it off, every single person you know has either kidnapped, attacked, or tried to outright kill me."

"I told you I was sorry for hurting you, Azula. What else can I do?" It was a rhetorical question of course, but I still answered her.

"Tell me everything."

"I'm sorry, I can't. I care about you, Azula. I do. But I can't turn my back on my brother or my friends."

"You already did that when you told me about the eclipse and then stopped Hippo from crushing me to death."

She was quiet for a moment. I could tell she was struggling with something.

"Look. The Fire Lord is on his way to Ba Sing Se as we speak. I already have your brother and many of your friends in prison." I gave her a moment to soak that bit of information in.

"What happens to them is up to my father, not me," I said, softening my voice as I took a seat at the edge of my bed. What I said was true. He would be the one to carry out their sentences due to the severity of the crime. It almost always led to death, but my father liked to choose the exact type of execution. "If you cooperate and give me details, I'll ask for leniency to be granted."

"But he doesn't have to listen to you, so there's no guarantee. I won't sell them out."

"But you would sell me out," I bit back, standing quickly. Pain shot through my side at the abrupt movement and I winced.

"You're hurt," she turned compassionate eyes on me. "Let me heal you."

The thought of her hands on my body was tempting, not to mention my ribs really were killing me. _"Besides, I could always tie her back up,"_ I thought smugly. I slipped out the knife I kept concealed within my sleeve and cut away her bonds. She rubbed her wrists and ankles before getting up from the bed to stretch out.

Her hands went for the clasps of my armor, unhooking them before lifting the black plate over my head. Next they went for my waist, removing the golden belt that held my black battledress in place before trying to pull it over my head.

"This thing was always a pain to get off," she noted wryly, before successfully getting it off.

Then those hands were at my waist again, untucking the shirt of my uniform. Her fingers lightly brushed against the skin of my abdomen, and my breath hitched at the contact.

We locked eyes, and for a moment it felt just like when we had first been together. When I had lost myself in depthless blue. Her hands continued to travel up my sides, pulling my shirt up in the process. Moments later it was removed, and only my chest wrapping covered my upper body.

I saw Katara bite down on her lower lip as her eyes raked over my body. I raised an eyebrow at her, and she blushed. Maybe I could just pretend for a little while that she had never stabbed me in the back.

"Lie down," she commanded softly. I did as she requested, sinking into the silk sheets that were still warm from her body that had been there moments before.

Bending the water from a small basin, she brought it to her hands where it began to glow. Gently she lowered her hands to my ribcage, which had turned a deep shade of purple. The water felt cool against my skin, and I could feel my energy pool into my broken ribs, as they began to mend themselves. After several minutes, the pain in my ribs was reduced to a dull ache and my skin was almost back to its normal color.

She pulled the water away from me and sent it back into the nearby basin. It felt good to be able to breath deeply again. Before I could lift myself up off the bed, Katara shifted over me and straddled my hips. She leaned down, capturing my lips in a heated kiss. After exchanging several more, she began to trail kisses along my jaw line.

"I'm sorry I hurt you," Katara whispered in my ear. "Please let me make it up to you."

Before I could respond, her mouth was on mine again, and a hand slipped under my chest wrapping as the other trailed lower. Some part of my mind was screaming at me to stop this immediately, but my body refused to listen.

The waterbender started to descend, placing bites and sloppy kisses along my body as she went. Skillful hands pulled the trousers of my uniform down. I buried my hands in chocolate tresses, gently encouraging her lower. I felt her smile against my skin before lightly biting me below my bellybutton.

I felt her breath against my inner thigh, promising the pleasure of what was to come. Strong hands went to my hips, holding me in place. My body tensed and my breath hastened as she brought me to my peak. Slowly she pulled away and moved up my body, while I got my breathing under control. She wrapped me in her arms and kissed me soundly.

"This doesn't change anything," I warned her. But I knew it did and so did she.

* * *

A loud knock on my door woke me from my sleep. It was the middle of the night, and everyone knew better than to interrupt me unless it was of utter importance. Grabbing the robe off my desk chair, I quickly threw it around me before opening the door to see my political advisor waiting.

"Princess Azula, we've just received word from the captain of the Fire Lord's personal guard." I could tell by his tone and the look in his eye that something was wrong. "I regret to inform you of this, but the Fire Lord is dead."

"_Dead? How could he be dead? He's the Fire Lord. He's my father!"_ I couldn't speak the words. I was too stunned.

"He was slain by a rogue Yu Yan Archer during the solar eclipse," my advisor continued. "We'll be making arrangements for your departure to the Fire Nation capital, Princess. You are to be named Fire Lord."

I silently nodded at the man. He stiffly bowed and took his leave. Closing the door, I turned back to face my room. "My father is dead," I whispered, slumping to the floor as my eyes glassed over, unseeing.

Strong arms surrounded me then, pulling me into a comforting embrace. I felt Katara kiss the top of my head, as she rubbed gentle circles on my back.

In my younger days, I would have made some comment about how happy I was to be named Fire Lord instead of expressing sadness over the loss of my father's life. I had been taught that expressing emotions like sadness and remorse was a weakness. When Lu Ten died, I betrayed none of the sadness that I actually felt. The same thing happened when my grandfather Azulon passed away. I couldn't. Not with other people watching me.

Even now, after the death of my father, I didn't cry. I knew I would later—just as I had when my mother disappeared. When I knew I could be alone. But right now, I didn't want to be alone. And I realized, I didn't have to be.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

I woke up well before dawn. Shifting up to sit in my bed, I sighed. I couldn't sleep. I felt Katara stir, my movements having woken her.

"Hey," she mumbled sleepily, looking out the window, only to find that it was still dark. "Can't sleep?"

I didn't answer her. I just stared straight ahead at the wall. For some unknown reason, my father's death effected me more than anyone else's. Not to mention everything that needed to be taken care of—prisoners, quashing all rebel forces, rebuilding the military, and my impending coronation. It was more than a little overwhelming.

Katara sat up then, placing a hand on my thigh. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Now there was a novel idea. Ty Lee asked me that once, after my mother disappeared. One look from me was enough for her never to ask me that question again. Maybe I should have taken her up on it though.

"When I thought of power, I thought of my father. I admired him, looked up to him. He seemed invincible. And now… now he's gone. It's just me."

"What of the rest of your family?"

"Either dead or banished."

"Banished?" She sounded surprised and a little sad.

"My mother killed my grandfather, Fire Lord Azulon. At least that's what my father told me. She disappeared when I was nine. I assume she was banished, but I doubt she's still alive. My brother shamed himself by refusing to fight in an Agni Kai against my father, and was banished. He can't return home without the Avatar. So basically, he's never coming home. My uncle—perhaps you've heard of General Iroh—joined him in exile. The spirits only know why."

"I'm sorry, Azula," she said, taking my hands in hers. She had an expression of guilt written on her face.

"Do you know who killed my father?" I said, my eyes narrowing as I tightened my grip on her hands.

She shook her head and looked down. "I don't."

"Then why do you feel guilty?" I asked.

"Because this turned out to be such a mess. Your nation caused me to suffer. I always believed in an eye for an eye. But I realize now it doesn't change the past. It only brings about more suffering for everyone involved."

"Perhaps…" I replied. That was an interesting line of thought. I always believed in an eye for an eye and then some. I would need to think about it some more, but not now. There was too much to do. "I have to leave for the capital today."

The unspoken question hanging in the air was what would happen to Katara.

"I know this isn't the best time to ask you about this, but what are your plans for my brother and my friends?"

"That depends."

"On what?" she asked nervously.

"On how cooperative everyone is. Including you," I replied tersely.

She glared at me, roughly pulling her hands out of mine.

"Just because you're sharing my bed doesn't erase the fact that you are still an enemy of the Fire Nation. If you tell me what I want to know, I'll spare their lives, and they'll be sent to the Boiling Rock."

"Okay, fine. I'll tell you what you want to know. I guess it doesn't matter since you have everyone imprisoned anyway," she said in a defeated tone. She looked up at me then. "And what do you plan to do with me?"

I smirked. "Well, that also depends. You have a choice. You can either join your friends in prison or you can come with me to the Fire Nation capital as my concubine."

Her eyes narrowed at me. "Your concubine? I may be a peasant, but I am not about to lower myself like that!"

"Fine," I replied coldly. "Enjoy the Boiling Rock."

I didn't want to tell her that I'd rather take her back as my Fire Lady to be. But that was impossible. If I brought back the girl who was responsible for my kidnapping in a capacity other than prisoner or slave, it would be a disaster. As Fire Lord, my rule would be absolute, but there was still that bothersome thing called politics. In order for me to maintain power, I needed the support of the most powerful people in the Fire Nation.

Of course, I couldn't tell her any of this. I didn't want her getting any ideas that she was on equal ground with me. Because she wasn't. And she never would be.

She continued to glare at me, but didn't reply. I could see the wheels turning in her head. I knew she wanted to stay with me, but she had a lot of pride.

"If you want to be with me, Katara, it's going to have to be on my terms. Especially in light of everything that's gone on." I placed a hand on her cheek, softening my expression. "You understand, don't you?" I purred, pulling her into my arms.

I felt her nod her head against my chest. She was still mad, but she'd get over it in time.

"That's better." I placed a kiss on top of her head. "You'll enjoy being my concubine. Don't think of it as lowering yourself. If anything, you're moving up in the world," I reasoned.

With those words, her hand slipped below my waistband. I grabbed her wrist, stopping her exploration.

"You're not angry?" I asked warily.

"I am," she said, looking up at me, and her eyes proved that she was. "But I don't know who I'm angrier with. You for demanding this of me or me for wanting to agree to it."

Katara's eyes bore into mine with a burning intensity that matched my blue flames—filled with all-consuming passion and anger. I let go of her wrist then and let her take it out on me.

* * *

Word continued to pour in throughout the day. The military losses throughout the continent were heavy, but fortunately, many of the rebel forces had been captured after the eclipse. I left it up to the commanders of each group that was effected to deal with the imposters however they saw fit. Most of them would probably die at the hands of Fire Nation soldiers looking for revenge. A few might end up in labor camps.

Between the information that Katara provided and that the Dai Li was able to procure through interrogation, a comprehensive report was completed.

The invasion of the South Pole by the Southern Raiders nearly a decade ago left Katara the last waterbender from the Southern Water Tribe. When she was fourteen, she and Sokka journeyed to the North Pole to find her a waterbending instructor. There she learned from Master Pakku, and this is also where she befriended Sangok, the waterbender who was part of the attack on the prison tower during the eclipse.

Katara was a natural and mastered waterbending quickly, but it took Sangok longer—mainly because he often daydreamed. But after the annihilation of his tribe during Sozin's comet, he became serious about his bending. Together, Sangok, Katara, and Sokka fled to the Earth Kingdom as refugees. Katara continued to teach Sangok in secret, since it was dangerous to be seen waterbending, but he eventually mastered it.

For three years, they managed to scrape by with odd jobs and stealing. About a year ago, Sangok went off on his own, wanting to earn a living—even if it was from a Fire Nation run business. Sokka and Katara began to network with other people involved in underground resistant movements. Through Sokka's natural ability to lead, he gathered a small following.

During the time that Katara was in prison after having been caught stealing, Sokka met Toph. After the fall of Ba Sing Se—and therefore, the Earth Kingdom—Toph and two men she used to fight against in Earth Rumble tournaments banded together. Those two men: Boulder and Hippo. The two benders who almost killed me on the day of the eclipse.

A plan was hatched among Sokka, Toph, Boulder, and Hippo to kidnap me during the eclipse. Knowing they would need a waterbender, they tracked down Sangok, since Katara had been caught by the Dai Li. But once Katara rejoined her brother, the plan changed.

Seizing a chance to capture me pre-eclipse, this put them in a position—or so they thought—to negotiate with the Fire Lord. They didn't really think he would agree to give them back the Earth Kingdom. It was a ploy. Using me as bait, they hoped to lure him out of the Fire Nation, enabling them to take my father down during the eclipse and then kill me off as well.

However, I put a huge wrinkle in that plan by escaping. So the rebels shifted tactics and sent Hippo, Sangok, and Boulder to the prison tower to break out Katara and Haru during the eclipse. Toph, Sokka, and June were planning on coming after me to take me out, but I wasn't where I was supposed to be. I was busy interrogating my prisoners.

And, of course, I paid June more than Toph ever could have afforded, and she turned on them. Their plan failed.

Well, almost failed. They still managed to kill the Fire Lord.

The airship my father rode in was forced to make landing due to the severe storms. Unfortunately, while they were on the ground, the eclipse arrived. Powerless to truly defend the attacks of other benders, his personal guard was easily dispatched. A silent rogue Yu Yan archer delivered the death blow to my father. His name was Longshot, and he had been killed on the spot.

* * *

All preparations had been finalized, and in two hours we would be departing back to the capital. It was bittersweet to be returning home, I decided. I was looking forward to seeing Mai again, but it would be strange to move into the Fire Lord's quarters.

Tomorrow at noon we would have a funeral pyre for my father. In the late afternoon, my coronation as Fire Lord would take place. I would finally ascend to the throne I was destined to rule from.

Katara's anger had abated a bit after our morning lovemaking—if I could even call it that. It was violent and cathartic. And I had a feeling it wouldn't be the last time either.

We were sitting quietly in my chambers now. I was reading a scroll to distract me from thoughts about my father's death. Katara did the same.

"Azula, I have a request. Can I at least see my brother before we go?"

"You may," I agreed. "But only under my supervision."

"Thank you," she sighed gratefully.

Together with my personal guard, we headed over to the airship where the prisoners had been prepared for transport to the Boiling Rock.

There were several Dai Li agents on hand in addition to the guards. I stood off to the side and let Katara approach her brother alone.

"Sokka?" Katara asked tentatively, peering into his holding cell.

"Katara?" he replied weakly. He looked a mess. The Dai Li informed me he had put up quite a fight once the shirshu's paralysis had worn off.

"I'm here," she reached through the bars. He shakily took a hold of her hand.

"How are you here?" he asked. "You aren't a prisoner?"

"I'm not free," she explained. Tears welled up in her eyes. "I don't think I'll see you again, Sokka. But at least you're safe now. Azula won't condemn you to death."

They stayed together and cried for awhile, speaking in hushed tones—reminiscing happier times from when they were children. It was a wonder to me. I could never imagine having a relationship like that with Zuzu.

"Katara. Time to leave," I ordered. Our ship was scheduled to depart in fifteen minutes.

With a sad smile, she said goodbye to Sokka for the last time.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

The Coronation Plaza was filled with all the nobles and high ranking military officers. I caught sight of Mai, and to my pleasant surprise, Ty Lee off to the left. My servants placed the robes of the Fire Lord over my armor. I was born to wear these clothes.

The blare of a tsungi horn marked my arrival, and all eyes were on me as I entered the plaza. The music picked up—a striking military march—and I began the long walk along the pathway and finally up the steps that led to the Coronaton Temple. Seated to the right, near the top steps were Tenzu and Katara.

I knelt down at the top of the plaza steps where the Fire Sages waited. The head sage approached me then, holding the Fire Lord diadem above my head. The music stopped.

"By decree of the now deceased Fire Lord Orzai, I now crown you Fire Lord…"

"Stop!" I looked up to see my brother Zuko entering the plaza with my uncle Iroh behind him. Several of my soldiers immediately surrounded them.

I held my hand up to stop the Fire Sage from placing the crown on my head and stood.

"Well, well. Look who decided to return home," I said with a smirk. "And just in time for my coronation. You shouldn't have, Zuko."

"I invoke my birthright to the throne. I should be named Fire Lord, not you."

"In case you've forgotten, Zuko, you're still banished. Just because Fire Lord Ozai has passed doesn't change that fact," I sneered. "Not to mention that I was named his successor after you were determined unfit to rule."

He continued on, undeterred. "I challenge you to an Agni Kai!"

There was a collective gasp in the crowd. The last time anyone had seen him, he had suffered a defeat in an Agni Kai at the hands of my father. Surely he was suicidal challenging me.

"Fine," I replied smugly. "Agni Kai in the arena in an hour. After I defeat you, we'll finish my coronation."

I noticed Iroh looking past me, his eyes resting on Katara. I could see he was trying to figure out who she was. He then brought his gaze to me, and there was something unsettling about how he looked at me. He was actually smiling—a kind of knowing smile. I glared at him, and he laughed before turning his attention to Zuko.

* * *

The servants removed the Fire Lord's robes from me before I headed back to my chambers. I summoned Katara and dismissed my remaining servants upon her arrival.

"What happened out there?" she asked, confused.

"My brother Zuko happened," I replied, rolling my eyes. "Help me with my armor." She did as I requested, removing it piece by piece.

"I meant to ask you yesterday. What's an Agni Kai?"

"An Agni Kai is a duel between members of the Fire Nation. It's a matter of honor."

"So you're going to duel your own brother?" She seemed shocked.

"Yes."

"Is it a fight to the death?" she asked, worry evident in her voice.

"Sometimes."

Katara stopped what she was doing and looked me in the eye. "Are you going to kill your own brother?"

I smiled inwardly. She assumed—rightfully so—that I was going to win. "Yes." I replied without blinking an eye. This obviously disturbed Katara.

"How could you do that?! Kill your own flesh and blood?" she exclaimed.

"This Agni Kai is for the right to become Fire Lord. It's not to be taken lightly. I need to show my people that I am a strong and capable leader—and that I'm not to be trifled with," I explained. It was perfectly reasonable. But it only seemed to frustrate her.

"You shouldn't kill him. You should show him mercy. You should do the right thing."

"The right thing?" I laughed. "There's no such thing as right and wrong. The only thing that matters is my destiny—my divine right to rule. And _nothing_ is going to stand in the way of that," I felt my temper begin to rise. "Not my brother, not some peasant uprising, not my feelings for you. I've already shown more mercy in the last two weeks than I have in my entire life because of you," I slipped, saying more than I intended to.

Her eyes lit up a bit at my slip, and she finished removing my top leaving me in my underwrappings. Leaning up for a kiss, her hands roamed over my abdomen. I closed my eyes.

This girl was going to be the end of me.

* * *

Now barefoot and wearing nothing but a pair of loose pants, wrappings to cover my upper torso, and the traditional ceremonial cloth over my shoulder, I mentally readied myself for the Agni Kai.

The entire crowd had gathered into the arena—the same place my father had defeated Zuko all those years ago. I thought it was fitting.

Once again, I felt Iroh's eyes on me. He was looking at my uncovered skin, which was littered with bite marks and scratches from Katara. Ignoring his curious gaze, I took my place at the left end of the platform. Zuko was on the right.

Crouching down into a low stance, we turned our backs to each other. This was it.

Taking a deep breath, I stood, letting the cloth draped over my shoulder fall to the floor. Atop the entranceway, a gong sounded. I turned to face Zuko, both of us assuming firebending stances.

He fired the first shot, which passed harmlessly to my left, followed by another which I easily dodged as I watched it sail right. He continued to throw fireballs at me, all of which I evaded or blocked. It was meant to frustrate him—just as I had when we would spar as children. I would let him tire himself out and then strike.

But Zuko obviously remembered this, and drew himself back into a defensive stance, forcing me to go on the offensive. Blasting several fireballs of my own, he had to act quickly to block them all. I ran toward him before propelling myself into a front flip, arcing flames toward my brother. He extinguished the flames with a wall of fire.

I had to admit, his skills had greatly improved. We stared at each other then, never releasing our stances, looking for any advantage, any weakness.

"What's the matter, Azula. No lightning today?"

I smirked at him. No way was I about to fall for that. My uncle Iroh was the only other firebender on the planet besides myself who could bend lightning now that my father was gone. No doubt he had taught Zuko how to redirect it.

"It wouldn't be fair, Zuzu," was all I said.

I saw the disappointment flash across his face. He had been banking on goading me into doing something stupid. That was all the advantage I needed.

Faster than he could blink, I sent a flurry of fireballs at his feet, forcing him off-balance. Having disrupted his footwork, I then kicked my right leg, sending an arc of fire down on him. Throwing his hands up in an attempt to block my attack, he was only partially successful. He stumbled backwards and fell off the platform.

I advanced on him.

Technically, I had won the Agni Kai because I had knocked him off-balance. But I was expected to deliver some kind of blow now that he was down. Pointing my fist at his head, I hesitated. Katara's words were running through my head. _"You should show him mercy."_

What would be the merciful thing to do? I looked into his eyes, and I could see everything play out in them. He never got what he sought after, and he never would. Father's love. Maybe killing him would be the most merciful thing. It was either that or continue to destroy his pride.

The devil and the angel on my shoulders were back now that both my mother and father were gone. Why couldn't I just believe what I had said earlier to Katara: there was no such thing as right and wrong? The only thing that mattered was my divine right to rule.

Was that the only thing that mattered? Of all times and places to be having this internal conflict, why now? It was quite amusing in a strange way, actually.

All this played out in my head for what felt like several minutes, but in reality it was just seconds. No one was the wiser.

Zuko closed his eyes, bracing for the blow. I let loose a fireball then. It landed mere inches from the left side of his head.

He opened his eyes warily, clearly confused.

"Since today is a special day, I've decided to be merciful," I declared with a cold smile. "You're banishment still stands, but you're welcome to stay for my crowning as Fire Lord if you'd like."

Not waiting for a reply, I turned my back on him and walked toward the exit.

* * *

"You happy?" I grumbled at Katara. We were back in my chambers where she was helping me prepare yet again for my crowning. Back into the armor I went.

She just smiled at me and answered my question with a soft kiss before tightening my belt.

* * *

The sun had already set, and the Coronation Plaza was lit up with hundreds of torch lights, filling the area with a warm glow.

Once again, I knelt down on the top of the plaza steps. I looked down at all my subjects below. Iroh was with the rest of the generals, but Zuko was nowhere to be found. Probably sulking on his ship. I saw Mai, Ty Lee, and several other girls from the academy. Continuing to scan the crowd, I locked eyes momentarily with Katara.

The Fire Sage's voice broke the spell, and my attention was drawn back into the ceremony.

"By decree of the now deceased Fire Lord Orzai, I now crown you Fire Lord Azula," he declared, placing the Fire Lord diadem into my topknot, pinning it into place. "Please rise."

I did as he said, and he turned to address the crowd. "Ladies and gentlemen of the Fire Nation. I present to you your new Fire Lord. All hail Fire Lord Azula!"

The crowd broke out in a raucous cheer then. I reveled in the sound. This was where I belonged.

* * *

Since the Agni Kai had disrupted the schedule this evening somewhat, the feast in honor of my crowning was moved until tomorrow. I had decided to attend to a few matters in the throne room before retiring for the night.

Just as I was getting ready to leave, a servant entered the room.

"Fire Lord Azula, General Iroh wishes to have a word with you," he stated, keeping his eyes low.

"Send him in," I replied, curious as to what my uncle was up to. With a bow, he retreated. Short moments later, Iroh came through the door.

"Uncle Iroh. What can I do for you?"

"It's been awhile since we've seen each other. Would you like to share a cup of tea?"

"Sure, why not," I shrugged. I sent another servant off to prepare some.

"I've heard of your conquests of the former Earth Kingdom—very impressive. Tell me, what are your plans now that you are Fire Lord?"

"To carry on just as my father did," I replied.

"I see," he said, almost like he didn't believe me.

The servant came back with the tea then, laying it out in front of us. He poured each of us a cup before taking his leave.

"I noticed a Water Tribe girl next to your captain during your coronation. Who is she?"

"That is _none_ of your business, Uncle," I shot back, narrowing my eyes at him.

"Ah, so it's as I thought," he said with a smile. Before I could retort, he continued on. "I was surprised that you let Zuko go at the end of your Agni Kai. I guess I shouldn't be though. Love can melt even the coldest hearts."

I practically choked on my tea. "I do not _love_ her, Uncle." I abruptly stood. I really didn't want to be having this conversation with anyone, especially Iroh. He had that uncanny and unsettling ability to read me better than anyone else ever could. This conversation was over.

"If you'll excuse me, I'm ready to retire for the evening. The guards can see you out. Send Zuko my regards."

Before he could say anything more, I was out the door.

* * *

Now that I was Fire Lord, I was no longer staying in the chambers I used to occupy as Princess. I was in my father's chambers. It would take awhile to get used to thinking of it as mine.

When I arrived, I didn't see Katara. As if on cue, a servant nodded her head toward the balcony, which was quite large. After sending all the servants off for the night, I walked outside to find Katara sitting on a pile of cushions gazing up at the moon. She looked beautiful in the moonlight.

Noticing my arrival she turned to look up at me. Patting the spot next to her, I took a seat. She moved closer to me, interlacing her fingers with mine as she brought her gaze back up to the sky. I did the same. I realized that it was a full moon, and I wondered if those stories about waterbenders getting hot during the full moon were true.

There was only one way to find out, I thought with a smile, before bringing my eyes back down to look at Katara.

"You look really beautiful tonight," I told her, bringing her hand to my lips and placing a soft kiss on the back of her hand.

"So do you," she replied with a smile, now facing me. Her eyes darkened with desire. "I never thought a Fire Lord could look so good," she said, biting her lower lip. I raised an eyebrow.

Her hands began to trail over my body then, as she pushed me back down on the pillows. She looked like a goddess with the moon glowing behind her.

I pulled Katara down into a heated kiss, burying my hands in her hair. I let my hands wander then, pulling away her clothes away from her body. Every touch, every kiss, heightened her desire even more. My fingers lightly brushed against her hip, teasing her, and she leaned into my touch.

"Please," she said in a combination of a whisper and a moan. She had never wanted me as badly as she did tonight.

I smiled. Oh yes, those stories were definitely true.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

"So… who is she?" Ty Lee asked curiously.

"My concubine," I replied nonchalantly.

Ty Lee looked genuinely surprised, and Mai raised a questioning eyebrow at me.

"I honestly never figured you to be the type to have a concubine, Azula," Mai finally said.

"She was dressed nicer than any of the other nobles and she was seated right beside you during the meal this evening. If I didn't know better, I'd say she's more than a concubine," Ty Lee said with a dreamy smile. I rolled my eyes. She was always such a romantic.

"Well, she is my property, so she should be a reflection of my wealth and my power," I said, trying to discourage Ty Lee's train of thought.

"Whatever you say, Azula," she laughed. "You forget—I can read your aura. Not that I really need to. It's so obvious."

I glared at her.

"Why did you take her as a concubine instead of your consort?" Mai asked.

"She and I have a… complicated history. Not to mention I've only known her for a couple weeks."

"Yeah, well, I still think you've fallen hard!" Ty Lee exclaimed.

"You don't know what you're talking about," I scowled.

Katara entered the throne room then. I had summoned her so she could meet Mai and Ty Lee. But after the conversation I just had with them, I was now regretting that decision.

"Oh, we were just talking about you!" Ty Lee said to her, trying to contain herself enough to not run over to Katara. Sometimes her curiosity and love of life made her forget all about proper decorum for Fire Nation nobility.

Katara looked a little surprised. "Good things, I hope."

Ty Lee nodded. "I didn't get your name though. I'm Ty Lee," she said with a smile and a slight curtsy. Mai glanced at me briefly, both of us somewhat taken aback by Ty Lee's gesture—to someone of a lesser rank.

"I'm Katara."

"It's nice to meet you. I'm an old friend of Azula's. And this is our friend, Mai," she continued, gesturing toward the assassin.

"It's a pleasure to meet you both," Katara replied.

"Likewise," Mai replied. Her voice wasn't as deadpanned as it used to be, but still betrayed very little emotion.

"So, how do you all know each other?" Katara asked.

"We met at the Royal Fire Academy for Girls as children and became close friends. When I began my conquests of the Earth Kingdom three years ago, I called upon Mai and Ty Lee to join me—they were my most trusted allies. Together we infiltrated and conquered Ba Sing Se," I explained with some pride.

"I see," Katara replied evenly, but I could detect a little uneasiness on her part. I would need to ask her about it later.

"So, Azula hadn't gotten to telling us about how you two met. Care to fill us in?" Ty Lee asked.

"Um," Katara looked decidedly uncomfortable as she glanced up at me.

"How we met isn't important," I cut in. The tone I used indicated that the topic was no longer up for discussion. "So, ladies, what's new in your lives?" I continued, swiftly moving us to a new topic of conversation.

* * *

"What's wrong?" I asked Katara now that we were alone.

"Nothing." She was never a good liar.

"Tell me," I demanded. She sighed.

"When you told me about how you conquered the Earth Kingdom with Mai and Ty Lee's help, it just reminded me of the reality of the situation I'm in. I care for you, but I hate a lot of the things you've done. I hate that the Earth Kingdom fell to the Fire Nation—all because of your conquests. I hate that my brother and my friends are in prison—knowing that you have the power to free them."

I was slightly angry now. How dare she take my generosity so lightly?

"How can you hate me for those things? I did nothing wrong. If anything, I've made the world a better place by spreading the Fire Nation's influence. I could have easily executed all the rebels, but I didn't. I didn't even torture them. Do you know why, Katara?"

"I do know. But do you?" she asked in a softer tone, trying to calm me down. She took a step closer to me and took my hands in hers. We stood there in silence for several moments. There was something unsettling about the look in her eyes. I knew it was the same way I looked at her.

"I need to think." I released Katara's hands and walked out of the room.

* * *

I walked through the halls aimlessly until finally I found myself in the grand hall containing all the paintings of the Fire Lords before me. I stood in front of my father's portrait, gazing up at it. What would he think of my current situation, I wondered.

Then I realized it didn't matter what he would think. For the first time in my life, I had no one to answer to. It was both empowering and frightening to think about.

Finally, it hit me: I was the supreme ruler of the world. All because of some strange twist of fate, I realized. If it weren't for Katara, I would be dead now—crushed to death by earthbenders. And my father had been assassinated—no one was there to save him.

I was the Fire Lord now—the title I was destined to have bestowed upon me. The entire world was at my feet.

Yet, it felt strangely unfulfilling. Yes, I had finished what my great-grandfather Fire Lord Sozin set out when he started this war, but what did it really matter to me? That was his dream, his vision—not mine.

There was a certain amount of pride that came with being descended from such a powerful man, but I needed to set myself apart from the last three generations of Fire Lords—all of which were associated with the Great War.

Now the war was over, and the Fire Nation had claimed victory. This was a new era. And it should be remembered as the most prosperous in Fire Nation history. And I would be remembered as the Fire Lord who ushered it in.

* * *

I continued to walk until I ended up in the palace courtyard. I remembered when I used to throw stones at the turtleducks. I hated them as a child. My mother paid more attention to them than she did me. She thought I was monster. I briefly wondered what she would think of me now.

I sat down at the edge of the edge of the pond and watched the torchlights playing off the water. It was quiet out here, which was both a relief and annoyance. It gave me time to think about the thing I was trying to avoid—Katara and how I really felt about her.

I didn't for a second want to think that Iroh and Ty Lee were right. I couldn't love Katara. Desire her, yes. That was acceptable, so long as it didn't become a distraction. I had let it distract me once before, and the sting of Katara's seduction and betrayal was still very fresh in my mind. But warm hands, soft lips, and impossibly blue eyes made me want to forget it ever happened. I shouldn't trust her. But I wanted to. Why?

"_Love can melt the coldest of hearts,"_ Iroh's words came to me.

It couldn't be. I couldn't love her. My father taught me that love was a weakness. And I was not weak.

"_I can read your aura. Not that I really need to. It's so obvious,"_ Ty Lee's voice now.

Whatever it was that I felt, one thing was obvious. I couldn't control it, no matter how much I wanted to.

Realizing that nothing more was going to be accomplished by continuing to sit out here, I got up and straightened out my robes before heading back inside.

* * *

Katara was fast asleep when I arrived back in my chambers. I changed into my sleeping robe and climbed into the lavish bed, which caused Katara to stir. Staring up at the fabric of the canopy, I felt her move closer to me before draping an arm across my stomach.

"Did you figure it out?" Katara asked sleepily.

"No. But I'm getting there." I paused. "Why did you agree to come here?"

Now it was Katara's turn to be silent. "Why did you give me the choice to?" she finally said. It wasn't a question.

And I realized no matter what we had both done to hurt each other before, there was something that was beyond our control that kept us together. Would that be considered love? Maybe, maybe not. Maybe my father was wrong.

It didn't matter. All I knew was that whatever I was feeling, Katara felt the same way. I considered us both to be on an even playing field now.

Katara snuggled closer to me as I wrapped my arm around her. I felt a weight I didn't even realize I was carrying lift from me then, and a small smile graced my lips as we drifted off to sleep.


	15. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

I was in the palace library when I came across a collection of scrolls containing proverbs. I reasoned that they must have belonged to my uncle, for no one else would have had use for such texts.

Curious, I unrolled the first scroll to see what it contained—proverbs on leadership. There was a smaller scroll inside it with a broken wax seal on it. Looking at the imprint, it almost reminded me a Pai Sho piece—the white lotus tile. Opening this scroll, I saw that it was a poem of sorts.

_People are unreasonable, illogical, and self-centered.__  
Love them anyway.  
If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives.__  
Do good anyway.  
If you are successful, you will win false friends and true enemies.__  
Succeed anyway.  
The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow.  
__Do good anyway.  
Honesty and frankness make you vulnerable.__  
Be honest and frank anyway.  
The biggest person with the biggest ideas can be shot down by the smallest person with the smallest mind.__  
Think big anyway.  
What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight.__  
Build anyway.  
People really need help but may attack if you help them.  
__Help people anyway.  
Give the world the best you have and you might get kicked in the teeth.  
Give the world the best you've got anyway._

While most of this sounded foolish to me, there were a few good tidbits I could draw from. Placing it to the side, I brought my gaze back to the larger scroll. Perhaps this could be useful, seeing as I was now Fire Lord.

_An army of a thousand is easy to find, but, ah, how difficult to find a general._

_A leader is best when people barely know he exists, not so good when people obey and acclaim him, worse when they despise him. But of a good leader—who talks little when his work is done, his aim fulfilled—they will say, "We did it ourselves."_

_Be gentle and you can be bold; be frugal and you can be liberal; avoid putting yourself before others and you can become a leader among men._

_To lead the people, walk behind them._

_Blessed is the leader who seeks the best for those he serves._

_He who cannot agree with his enemies is controlled by them._

I stared at the scroll in disbelief. Surely whoever wrote this had to be joking. This was no way to lead. It certainly wasn't how my father or grandfather led. My eyes scanned to the bottom of the page, and I saw who the author was. What I saw shocked me. It was written by Fire Lord Azan. I knew my Fire Nation history well—he was the third Fire Lord and was considered to be one of the greatest leaders our nation ever had. He led during the first era of true prosperity in the Fire Nation.

Maybe there was something to what he said after all. History proved it. It was something to think about at least.

Moving onto the next scroll, I almost laughed when I saw what the proverbs were about: love. Surely this had no purpose in a Fire Nation library. But I looked and saw that these too were composed by Fire Lord Azan, so I read on.

_It is love that makes the impossible possible._

_He who treads the path of love, walks a thousand meters as if it were only one._

_No fate is worse than a life without a love._

_Where there is love, there is no darkness._

_Perfect love cannot be without equality._

_In love, beggar and king are equal._

The last proverb struck a nerve with me for some reason. The very idea of such a thing tore at my pride, but my own experience in my first six months as Fire Lord had created some doubt. Perhaps there was some truth to this.

As the weeks had gone on, it became more apparent to both Katara and I that she was my concubine and I was her Fire Lord in name only. It was also apparent to everyone else who had regular interaction with me, from Mai and Ty Lee, the captain of my guard, and all the servants in my household.

I was the Fire Lord. My rule was absolute. I used the excuse of what the nobles, generals, and admirals would think to keep Katara in this role for my sake only. It wasn't really necessary, even though I tried to convince myself otherwise. Initially, it provided me with a sense of security after everything that had happened in Ba Sing Se, but now…

"_You're a coward, you know,"_ some part of my mind told me.

_In love, beggar and king are equal._

Making a decision, I put the scrolls away and made my way out of the library to find Katara.

I found her in my study, reading a scroll on Fire Nation history—the real Fire Nation history, not the propaganda fed to the public. She looked up from the desk she was seated at and greeted me with a warm smile.

"Hey," she said. I loved the moments when we were alone. When we could drop all pretenses of titles and just be ourselves. "I was just reading about Fire Lord Azan. He actually didn't seem so bad."

"What a coincidence. I was just reading something written by him in the library," I told her. _"This must be a sign,"_ I thought.

"I have something I need to tell you," I said, taking a seat on the loveseat across from her and patting the empty spot next to me. Katara padded over and sat beside me.

"What is it?"

"You're free." It was terrifying to say those words. It meant that she could walk right out that door and not come back.

"What do you mean?"

"You no longer have to serve as my concubine. You're free to live as you wish."

"Do you no longer want me around?" she asked, looking slightly hurt.

"I do," I sighed. "But I don't want to force you to be here. I know prison wasn't a very good alternative," I said with a half smile, trying to lighten the mood.

"Can I stay here with you?" she asked, hesitant almost.

"Of course you can," I said, my smile growing as a feeling of relief came over me.

With a big smile of her own, she wrapped her arms around me and kissed me. "Why did you decide to free me?" she asked, resting her forehead against mine to look into my eyes.

"Why did you agree to stay?" I replied. I tried to convey through my eyes what I couldn't with words. I couldn't bring myself to say it just yet.

Her eyes lit up in understanding.

"I love you," she whispered, uttering the words for the first time before placing a soft kiss on my lips. I felt like I was floating on air, and I smiled into her kiss.

Maybe there was some truth to the Fire Lord Azan's words after all. Love really did make the impossible possible. I, Fire Lord Azula, had fallen in love with a Water Tribe peasant. And I wouldn't have it any other way.

I pulled back slightly, breaking our kiss.

"I love you too," I whispered back. And for the first time in my life, everything seemed possible.

* * *

**Author's note: **This marks the end of _Never Seen Blue_. Hope you've all enjoyed it! There will definitely be a sequel in the future, written from Katara's POV, entitled _Shades of Gold_. Thank you all for reading and reviewing. Your feedback has been invaluable :)

Also, the proverbs and poems used in this chapter are either by Lao Tzu or are anonymous. So it's fair use ;)


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